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Zink (2015) argued there was no evidence for genetic, morphological, or ecological differentiation between the federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and other Willow Flycatcher subspecies. Using the same data, we show there is a step-cline in both the frequency of a mtDNA haplotype and in plumage variation roughly concordant with the currently recognized boundary between E. t. extimus and E. t adastus, the subspecies with which it shares the longest common boundary. The geographical pattern of plumage variation is also concordant with previous song analyses differentiating those 2 subspecies and identified birds in one low-latitude, high-elevation site in Arizona as the northern subspecies. We also demonstrate that the ecological niche modeling approach used by Zink yields the same result whether applied to the 2 flycatcher subspecies or to 2 unrelated species, E. t. extimus and Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). As a result, any interpretation of thos...

La comprensión del ciclo anual de las aves migratorias es fundamental para evaluar la evolución de las estrategias del ciclo vital y el desarrollo de estrategias efectivas de conservación. Sin embargo, todavía sabemos poco sobre el ciclo anual de las aves migratorias que se reproducen en zonas templadas del sur de Sudamérica. Determinamos el año de edad, el sexo, y la progresión y la intensidad de muda de plumas del cuerpo, las remeras y las rectrices en las Atrapamoscas Tijereta (Tyrannus s. savana) en los sitios de cría en el sur de Sudamérica y en sitios de invernada en el norte de Sudamérica. La muda de plumas del cuerpo y plumas de vuelo ocurrió principalmente durante el invierno. En el comienzo del invierno, una proporción similar de jóvenes y adultos mudaron las plumas remeras y rectrices, pero la intensidad de la muda de remeras (número de remeras en muda) fue mayor y la progresión de la muda de remeras primarias (media de remeras primarias en muda) fue más avanzado en adultos. A finales del invierno, la intensidad y la progresión de la muda de las remeras primaria no difirió entre los grupos de edad. No se encontraron diferencias entre machos y hembras, tampoco en la proporción de individuos en muda en invierno o en la intensidad o el progreso de la muda de remeras. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la subespecie nominal de Atrapamoscas Tijereta se somete a una muda completa cada año en las zonas de invernada, y representan la primera evaluación integral del calendario de muda de una atrapamosca migratoria del nuevo mundo que pasa la invernada en los trópicos. Teniendo en cuenta que la cría, la muda y la migración representan tres etapas claves en el ciclo anual de las aves migratorias, el conocimiento del calendario de estos eventos es un primer paso a la comprensión del intercambio de ventajas y desventajas que enfrentan las aves migratorias durante el año. Understanding the annual cycle of migratory birds is imperative for evaluating the evolution of life-history strategies and developing effective conservation strategies. Yet, we still know little about the annual cycle of migratory birds that breed at south-temperate latitudes of South America. We aged, sexed, and determined the progression and intensity of body, remige, and rectrix molt of migratory Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus s. savana) at breeding sites in southern South America and at wintering sites in northern South America. Molt of both body and flight feathers occurred primarily during the winter. In early winter, a similar proportion of young and adult flycatchers molted remiges and rectrices, but remige molt intensity (number of remiges molting) was greater and primary molt progression (mean primary feather molting) more advanced in adults. In late winter, remige molt intensity and primary molt progression did not differ between age groups. We found no difference between males and females either in the proportion of individuals molting in winter or in the intensity or progress of remige molt. Our results suggest that the nominate subspecies of Fork-tailed Flycatcher undergoes one complete, annual molt on the wintering grounds, and represents the first comprehensive evaluation of molt timing of a migratory New World flycatcher that overwinters in the tropics. Given that breeding, molt, and migration represent three key events in the annual cycle of migratory birds, knowledge of the timing of these events is the first step toward understanding the possible tradeoffs migratory birds face throughout the year. Fil: Jahn, Alex. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil Fil: Giraldo, José I.. Aves Internacionales; Colombia Fil: MacPherson, Maggie. University of Tulane; Estados Unidos Fil: Tuero, Diego Tomas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Sarasola, José Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa; Argentina Fil: Cereghetti, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Masson, Diego A.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina Fil: Morales, Marvin V.. University of Florida; Estados Unidos

We examined migration routes and non-breeding sites of a poorly studied long-distance migrant, the Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata, by tracking adult birds with geolocators from an eastern European breeding population across two subsequent years. All 11 birds migrated in a clockwise loop fashion where autumn migration routes lay east from the spring migration routes. Non-breeding sites were located in Eastern-Central Africa, i.e. Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and east DR Congo, where birds spent on average 128 days. Non-breeding sites of two birds were located outside of the currently estimated species’ non-breeding range.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher, Contopus cooperi (Nuttall, 1831), is a long distance migrant bird from North America. This Tyrannidae bird has wintering areas in Central and South America, and such as other long distance migrants, has decreased their populations, probably due to the use of pesticides, which in turn decrease the abundance of aerial insects, their main food supply. Little is known about the wintering distribution range of the species, mainly in South America. In Brazil its known distribution includes 11 states and 36 municipalities at the Amazon and Atlantic Forest, occurring between October and April. This study reviews the distribution area of this species in Brazil, reporting for the first time, its occurrence in the Goias state and the Cerrado biome.

Flycatchers in the genus Empidonax are among the most difficult avian taxonomic groups to identify to species. Observers often rely on calls or songs in the field or detailed morphometrics in the hand to identify species. In January and February 2013, we twice captured an Empidonax flycatcher at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Virginia. After being unable to identify the flycatcher to species level using morphometrics and photographs, we extracted DNA from two tail feathers collected during the second encounter to identify the individual genetically. Comparison of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) with reference sequences in the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) suggested that the specimen had a >99.8% probability of placement as a Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri). Additional comparisons of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) to reference sequences in GenBank, however, suggested that the specimen was a Pine Flycatcher (Empidonax affinis), a species not represented in BOLD and confined geographically to a small area in Mexico and Guatemala. After analyzing both COI and ND2 from additional vouchered specimens, the bird caught in Virginia was determined to be a Dusky Flycatcher. We also suspect that some of the sequences in GenBank might derive from incorrectly identified specimens or otherwise could represent overlooked pseudogenes. Because the putative identification, based on GenBank sequences, would have represented the first record of Pine Flycatcher from the United States, our results reinforce the need for carefully vetted and taxonomically comprehensive molecular databases to allow definitive conclusions about sample identity. Further molecular phylogeographic review of this genus is warranted to resolve haplotype ambiguities.

Population genetic studies in nonmodel organisms are often hampered by a lack of reference genomes that are essential for whole-genome resequencing. In the light of this, genotyping methods have been developed to effectively eliminate the need for a reference genome, such as genotyping by sequencing or restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). However, what remains relatively poorly studied is how accurately these methods capture both average and variation in genetic diversity across an organism's genome. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Dutoit et al. (2016) use whole-genome resequencing data from the collard flycatcher to assess what factors drive heterogeneity in nucleotide diversity across the genome. Using these data, they then simulate how well different sequencing designs, including RAD sequencing, could capture most of the variation in genetic diversity. They conclude that for evolutionary and conservation-related studies focused on the estimating genomic diversity, researchers should emphasize the number of loci analysed over the number of individuals sequenced.

The juvenile plumage shortly after fledging of the globally threatened grassland flycatcher Sharp-tailed Tyrant Culicivora caudacuta is described in full for the first time. This plumage is substantially different from the adult, most notably in the head pattern, tail length and dorsal coloration. Confusion in the field with female Bearded Tachuri Polystictus pectoralis is possible.

La estrategia de historia de vida de un organismo se compone de un conjunto de caracteres fisiológicos, comportamentales y ecológicos, los cuales varían tanto a nivel intra como inter-especifico de acuerdo a la presión selectiva que opera sobre los individuos. En aves, se han propuesto dos factores ecológicos principales para explicar la variación intra e inter-especifica en el crecimiento de los pichones: la predación de nidos y la disponibilidad de alimento. Las tasas de crecimiento individuales de los pichones tienen importantes consecuencias sobre el éxito reproductivo debido a que la velocidad del crecimiento influye en el posterior rendimiento reproductivo y en la supervivencia. En el presente trabajo, estudiamos la relación entre factores ecológicos (e.g. nivel de precipitaciones y tasa de predación), y los patrones de crecimiento de pichones de dos especies de Atrapamoscas del Nuevo Mundo (Tyrannidae) del género Tyrannus (la Tijereta, T. savana y la Tijereta rosada, T. forficatus) que se reproducen a latitudes temperadas del norte y del sur. Se puso a prueba la hipótesis que la tasa de crecimiento de los pichones está influenciada por la tasa de predación de nidos y predecimos que el crecimiento de los pichones sería más rápido en especies que experimentan altas tasas de predación. También, se puso a prueba la hipótesis que la tasa de crecimiento de los pichones está relacionada con los niveles de precipitaciones (estimador de la abundancia de alimento) y predecimos que la tasa de crecimiento de los pichones sería mayor en sitios con mayores niveles de precipitaciones. La tasa de crecimiento no estuvo asociada con la tasa de predación en ninguna de las especies estudiadas, pero su variación estuvo relacionada con los niveles de precipitaciones. La tasa de crecimiento de los pichones fue mayor durante los años húmedos para la Tijereta rosada que vive en latitudes temperadas del norte. La tasa de crecimiento entre especies fue similar durante los años húmedos. Estos resultados indican que, por lo menos en una escala de tiempo ecológica, las precipitaciones explican la variación en la tasa de crecimiento tanto intra como inter-especifica en mayor grado que la predación en estas especies de Tyrannus. Finalmente, la variación en la tasa de crecimiento observada entre años secos y húmedos indica una alta plasticidad fenotípica en la tasa de crecimiento en este grupo de aves insectívoras., An organism's life history strategy is made up of a suite of physiological, behavioral, and ecological traits, which vary at both the interspecific and intraspecific levels in accordance with selective pressures operating on individuals. For birds, 2 primary ecological factors have been proposed to explain intraspecific and interspecific variation in nestling growth: nest predation and food availability. Individual nestling growth rates have important consequences for overall fitness because growth speed could influence subsequent reproductive performance and survival. We studied the relationship between ecological factors (i.e. precipitation level and predation rate) and nestling growth patterns of 2 New World flycatcher species (Tyrannidae) of the genus Tyrannus (Fork-Tailed Flycatcher T. savana and Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher T. forficatus) breeding at south-And north-Temperate latitudes. We tested the hypothesis that nestling growth rates are driven by nest predation rates and predicted that nestling growth rates would be higher in species experiencing higher nest predation rates. We also tested the hypothesis that nestling growth rates are related to precipitation levels (a proxy for food abundance) and predicted that nestling growth rates would be higher at sites with higher precipitation levels. Growth rate was not associated with predation rate, but it varied with precipitation level, with faster nestling growth rates during wet years for the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher living at north-Temperate latitudes. Among species, similar growth rates were found during wet years. These results indicate that, at least as proximate causes, precipitation explains intraspecific and interspecific growth rate variation in Tyrannus species to a larger degree than predation. Additionally, the variation in growth rate we observed between wet and dry years indicates a high level of plasticity in growth rate in this group of insectivorous birds., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

Vermilion flycatchers songs are composed of two acoustically different parts: a first part (FP) containing a variable number of introductory elements, and a second part (SP) composed of four elements. Previous work suggests that the FP is important for territorial competition and that it conveys information on threat level. By exposing free-living males to playbacks of complete songs (CS’s), FP’s and SP’s, we evaluated the relative contribution of each song part in males’ territorial responses. Males called in response to all three treatments, suggesting each song component is important for territorial competition. Males’ call response did not differ toward CS’s and FP’s, and toward CS’s and SP’s (although a non-significant tendency was found for SP’s to elicit a weaker response than CS’s), but it was greater toward FP’s than toward SP’s. These results, coupled with previous work, further support the idea that the FP plays a special role during territorial competition and may give information on level of threat. We further discuss our result in terms of mechanistic and functional hypotheses. Postprint

Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) populations have been in decline across the western United States for decades. California populations are especially vulnerable with fewer than 500 pairs remaining in the state. Declines and local extirpations continue despite extensive habitat restoration and improved management designed to help conserve Willow Flycatchers. Such efforts may have failed to help reverse these trends in part because Willow Flycatchers rarely recolonize habitat after extirpation, regardless of present habitat suitability. Failure to recolonize habitat may be because prospecting Willow Flycatchers, like many other songbird species, assess habitat suitability based on the presence of conspecifics, making them unlikely to consider unoccupied habitat as potential breeding grounds. If true, broadcasting conspecific vocalizations in suitable but unoccupied habitat could help facilitate recolonization. During the 2016 and 2017 breeding seasons, we assessed the effectiveness of providing artificial social cues as a means of restoring Willow Flycatchers to suitable but unoccupied restored meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. We selected 14 experimental meadows where conspecific songs were broadcast during the settlement and breeding periods and 19 control meadows where no broadcasts took place. All the meadows were recently restored, contain high-quality habitat with hydrological characteristics and vegetation similar to meadows where Sierra Willow Flycatchers successfully breed, and were confirmed to be unoccupied in the year prior to their inclusion in the study. We observed Willow Flycatchers at five of 14 experimental meadows (35.75%) during the breeding season and at one of 19 control meadows (5.3%). We found that habitat characteristics also play a role in the efficacy of this technique, as Willow Flycatcher presence was highly significantly related to the combination of both the experimental treatment and meadow size. These results demonstrate that within large, restored meadows, conspecific broadcasts may be an effective strategy for restoring Willow Flycatchers.

We report the mitochondrial genome of Ficedula albicilla. The overall base composition of F. albicilla mitogenome is 29.49%A, 15.06%G, 32.98%C, and 22.47%T, with an A + T content of 51.96%. The tot...

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Grey-streaked Flycatcher (Muscicapa griseisticta) has been determined by the polymerase chain reaction method for the first time using the muscle...

Zduniak, Piotr/0000-0003-1804-125X WOS: 000356968400003 The red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva is a small passerine bird that breeds in Eastern Europe and across central Asia and winters on the Indian subcontinent. Birds from the western extreme of the breeding range migrating to and from the wintering grounds utilise a large longitudinal component en route that is not typical of the majority of European passerines. Therefore, it is one of the lesser-known species in Europe with respect to migration and biometrics. The aim of this study is to describe the numbers, phenology and biometry of the red-breasted flycatcher in relation to age, sex and migration season at a stopover site in northern Turkey. The number of individuals ringed in autumn was six times higher than in the spring passage. Furthermore, the period of the spring passage was shorter than in autumn, and in spring males migrate six days earlier than females and juveniles; no such differences were found in autumn. Moreover, migrants carried more fuel reserves in spring than in autumn and no differences were recorded in the length of stopover duration. The study underlines the importance of further research into passerine migration across Turkey to better understand the whole migratory system of movements of the Palaearctic migratory passerine populations. Ondokuz Mayis UniversityOndokuz Mayis University [PYO.ORN.1901.12.001, F-478]; Polish Ministry of Science and Higher EducationMinistry of Science and Higher Education, Poland [IP2011063771] The bird ringing project was supported by Ondokuz Mayis University (Project number PYO.ORN.1901.12.001 and F-478). The data analyses were financially supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (grant to P.Z. No. IP2011063771). We would like to thank all the ringers and volunteers involved in the bird ringing study. We also thank two anonymous referees and the editor for detailed and constructive comments on the manuscript.

We present details on parental care and foraging behavior of Olive-sided Flycatchers (Contopus cooperi) in central Alaska. We document the first evidence of fecal sac consumption in this species. Both sexes exhibited this behavior while tending chicks less than one week old. Adults with older nestlings (1.5–2 weeks) removed fecal sacs only. The general pattern of reduced fecal sac consumption with chick age is consistent with other passerines and may supplement parental nutrition. Near-ground foraging behavior in C. cooperi is rarely reported, as birds typically sally for aerial insects near or above the canopy. Two breeding females fed multiple times from 1–3 m perches, hovering over, flying directly above or disappearing into low vegetation (

The Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) breeds throughout much of the United States, northwestern Mexico, and southeastern and southwestern Canada. A subspecies found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, E. t. extimus (Southwestern Willow Flycatcher), is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). This subspecies was described in 1948, based on comparisons of a few external morphological characters from an unstated number of specimens and localities, although it was excluded from the last official list of subspecies by the American Ornithologists' Union. Like most avian subspecies, its validity has not been tested with modern morphological or genetic methods. Recent assessments of the subspecies have assumed it to be a distinct taxon, and some authors have limited their comparisons to E. t. extimus versus E. t. adastus (the subspecies immediately to the north of E. t. extimus), excluding comparison to western (E. t. brewsteri) and eastern (E. t. trai...

In spring, long-distance migrants are considered to adopt a time-minimizing strategy to promote early arrival at breeding sites. The phenology of spring migration was examined and compared between two insular stopover sites in Greece and Sweden for Icterine Warbler, Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Collared Flycatcher. All of them migrate due north which means that some proportion of birds that pass through Greece are heading to Scandinavia. The Collared Flycatcher had the earliest and the Icterine Warbler the latest arrival time. The differences in median dates between Greece and Sweden were 3–4 weeks and the passages in Sweden were generally more condensed in time. The average overall speed estimates were very similar and varied between 129 and 137 km/d. In most of the species higher speed estimates were associated with years when birds arrived late in Greece. After crossing continental Europe birds arrive at the Swedish study site with significantly higher body masses compared to when they arrive in Greece and this might indicate a preparation for arriving at breeding grounds with some overload.

We studied the diet of nestling Spectacled Tyrants (Hymenops perspicillatus) in the southeast Pampas region, Argentina. From November 2012 to January 2013, we used video footage to determine prey items that the parents fed to their chicks. We obtained 54 hrs of recording time to survey 18 nests. We identified a total of 125 prey items, representing 33 different taxa, grouped into four classes: Insecta, Arachnida, Chilopoda, and Amphibia. Insects accounted for 94% of total prey. The most frequent prey items were orthopterans (Caelifera), unidentified lepidopteran larvae, and odonats (Zygoptera). Lepidopterans were numerically the most important prey item in November, odonats in December, and orthopterans in January. Diet of the nestling birds was generalist in terms of the consumption of insects, and the changes in prey consumption during the course of the breeding season support an opportunistic feeding behavior by Spectacled Tyrants. Fil: Pretelli, Matías Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina Fil: Cardoni, Daniel Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina Fil: Isacch, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencia Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina

Flycatchers of the genus Empidonax are readily misidentified in the field, in the hand, and even in museum collections. We describe a novel plumage feature that can be used to distinguish Yellow-bellied Flycatchers (E. flaviventris) from the two species that comprise the Western Flycatcher complex, Cordilleran Flycatchers (E. occidentalis) and Pacific-slope Flycatchers (E. difficilis). The length of the buffy fringing on the anterior edge of each secondary feather, visible on the folded wing, is significantly shorter in Yellow-bellied Flycatchers than in Western flycatchers, with minimal overlap. A definitive identification can be made using a simple formula that includes measurements of wing chord and the length of the buffy fringing along the outer edge of the first secondary (S1). This method provides definitive in-hand identification, and the difference in length of the buffy fringing on the secondaries is also a useful field mark for visual identification. Testing our method with 113 museum specimens that had been identified ap rioribased on locality, we correctly identified 112 specimens. The exception was a specimen from Illinois that had been assumed to be a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. However, based on our formula, it was a Western flycatcher and analysis of its mtDNA sequence confirmed this result, proving the utility of our method. RESUMEN. Tsimple para distinguir al Mosquetero vientre amarillo de los mos

Factors that determine the condition of migratory birds at their wintering sites are poorly known. Age, sex, and morphological characteristics of birds may have an influence on their winter condition by affecting their foraging and competitive abilities. Winter body condition could have long-term consequences on the reproductive success of migratory birds during the subsequent breeding season. Using 3 yr of data from Collared Flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), we examined the characteristics of winter-grown tail feathers, as indicators of winter body condition, in relation to sex, age, morphological traits, and future breeding variables. Tail feather mass was highly repeatable between years, but feather growth rate was not repeatable, which suggests that the latter trait mainly indicates environmental circumstances during molt, whereas feather mass may more strongly reflect genetic effects. Tail feathers of males and adults showed better quality than those of females and juveniles, possibly becau...

Despite advances in knowledge, in many bird species, the true mating system is unknown, and especially so for birds breeding at low densities under natural conditions. We studied paternity at the population and breeding pair level in the Red-breasted Flycatcher ( Ficedula parva), a small, migrant passerine breeding in old-growth Białowieża Forest. Over seven breeding seasons we genotyped a total of 159 nestlings and 25 adult males as fathers from 33 broods of the Red-breasted Flycatcher. Extra-pair young were present in eight broods (24.2%). Twelve (7.5%) chicks mismatched with the ‘social’ male in several loci. Both low breeding density and synchrony in breeding phenology can explain such findings. Also of interest was the share of extra-pair paternity at the individual level, in relation to the age/ornamentation of the extra-pair male. Male Red-breasted Flycatchers exhibit delayed plumage maturation. Young males (second year) are without an orange badge on the throat and breast, while older males (after-second year) are ornamented and have an orange badge. The extra-pair nestlings were found in eight broods, four with young males as a fathers (36.4%) and four in broods of old males (18.2%). However, in all seven cases when the age of the extra-pair partner was known, irrespective of the age of the social father, the extra-pair partner was a male with an orange patch on the breast. This indicated female preference for ornamented males as partners for extra-pair copulation.

Mimicry is a widespread phenomenon. Vertebrate visual mimicry often operates in an intraspecific sexual context, with some males resembling conspecific females. Pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) dorsal plumage varies from the ancestral black to female-like brown. Experimental studies have shown that conspecific and heterospecific (collared flycatcher, F. albicollis) individuals of both sexes respond, at least initially, to brown individuals as if they were female. We quantified the perceptual and biochemical differences between brown feathers and found that brown pied flycatcher males are indistinguishable from heterospecific, but not from conspecific, females in both aspects. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of a visual mimetic signalling system in a sexual context where the model is heterospecific to the mimic. By only mimicking heterospecific females, brown pied flycatcher males can establish territories next to the more dominant collared flycatcher in sympatry, suffer less aggression by darker conspecifics in allopatry and preserve within-species sexual recognition throughout the breeding range. A closer look at the evolutionary history and ecology of these two species illustrates how such a mimetic system can evolve. Although likely rare, this phenomenon might not be unique to Ficedula flycatchers.

Birds mostly mob avian or mammalian predators, but harass snakes as well. The mobbed snakes are potential or actual bird predators, but records of birds mobbing vipers are rare. I report herein on an avian assemblage mobbing an adult Jararaca Lancehead (Bothrops jararaca) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. The bird assemblage was composed of 8 species and 11 individuals. The most insistent mobber was a Golden-crowned Warbler. Two bird species dived at close range of the moving pitviper: the Sayaca Tanager and the Short-crested Flycatcher, which dived at the snake 2 and 1 times respectively. The snake seemed undisturbed by the harassing birds, but stopped moving after each of the dives. The Jararaca Lancehead occasionally forage at daytime, climb on vegetation, and prey on birds. Thus, it may actually pose a predation risk to the mobbing birds when they are nesting in the vicinity or when they are much distracted while harassing.

A point mutation in the MC1R gene, a G-protein-coupled receptor, has been found that could have led to the formation of two subspecies of Solomon Island flycatcher from a single ancestral population. I discuss the many roles that G-protein-coupled receptors play in vertebrate physiology and how one particular point mutation can have enormous evolutionary consequences.

In this study, we examined the spring migration phenology and arrival body mass and fat score of two long-distance migrants, the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis and the Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata at a small Greek island. Our data indicate a regular and early spring passage of both species through the area, with the Semi-collared Flycatcher peaking in late March and early April and the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler about a week later. The arrival body masses of both species were lower than any other mean value of body mass previously reported. This, along with the low fat loads of both species, indicates that the birds' reserves are depleted after crossing the Mediterranean Sea and suggests that they had probably not refuelled after the desert crossing.

Millions of migratory and resident passerines molt in southwestern North America each summer, when ecological productivity spikes in response to the North American Monsoon. Although a monsoon-region molt is a critical event in the annual cycle of many species, the benefits of molting in the monsoon region are unclear. I used museum specimens to compare molt dynamics of the Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) in relation to the timing and location of the monsoon rains, and between northern and southern monsoon latitudes. In the north and the south, populations did not vacate arid non-monsoon areas to molt in adjacent monsoon areas, unlike several other lowland western passerines with more northern distributions. Onset, rate, and intensity of molt were similar between populations in and out of the monsoon region at the same latitude. By contrast, molt started significantly later and was significantly faster at northern latitudes than in the south, suggesting a strong, latitude-based tempor...

Although there is a large body of literature dealing with the nature of geographic variation in the songs of birds, few studies have examined such variation across the entire range of species of suboscine birds. We measured time and frequency characteristics of songs of Alder Flycatchers (Empidonax alnorum) from six regions spanning almost the entire range of the species, from Alaska to Maine. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated significant differences in song characteristics among regions, and discriminant function analysis classified 69% of songs to the correct region. We found no relationship between geographic separation and magnitude of difference in songs among regions—songs of birds from some widely-separated regions were more similar than they were to songs of birds from neighboring regions. We argue that these regional differences have a genetic basis, but the pattern of variation does not appear to be consistent with a simple “isolation by distance” model. The variati...

Older red-breasted flycatcher males (after the second year) have an orange patch on the throat and breast. To date, the occurrence of this ornament has been explained in terms of male-male interactions. In this paper, we show that badge size also influences the mating success of red-breasted-flycatcher males. In addition to the size of the ornament, arrival time was a second factor related to the males' mating success, but no effects of body parameters such as wing length, tarsus length, and body mass were observed. Mated males arrived significantly earlier than unmated ones. The arrival time of males was negatively correlated to body mass and positively correlated to tarsus length but no relation to wing length or badge size was observed. No correlations between badge size and body parameters were observed. This ornament was evolved through sexual selection, with both male-male interaction and selection pressure arising from female preference for males with larger badges.

Although Narcissus Flycatchers readily use nest boxes, natural nest sites and nest characteristics have not previously been described. The location of 41 Narcissus Flycatcher nests and data on the dimensions of 17 nest holes in the Fuji Primitive Forest of Japan are described. Japanese Hemlocks were the most commonly chosen tree species for nesting although 14 other tree species were also used and no significant nest tree species preference was observed. Nests (classified as either half cavity, full cavity, chimney, or shelf), were built at an average height of 7.3 m. Flycatchers tended to nest in dead trees or trees with trunks greater than 20 cm in diameter (mean 30.9 cm). Nests were typically made from dead leaves, moss, plant fibers, and animal hair. This is the first description of natural nest sites and nest characteristics of Narcissus Flycatchers; details are compared with those of other closely related flycatcher species.

Was investigated the relation of interspecific and intraspecific aggressive contacts of Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) and Spotted Flycatchers (Muscicapa striata) in natural and anthropogenically transformed areas of forest-steppe zone of Ukraine. Interspecific aggressive interactions dominate in percentage but the frequency of intraspecific aggression is greater than of interspecific one. The frequency of interspecific aggression of Collared Flycatcher in artificial planted forests is higher than in nature. Percentage and frequency of aggressive interactions for Spotted flycatcher on the studied area were not significantly different. We carded out the success rate of aggressive reaction in defense and attack. The success of all aggressive interactions of Collared Flycatcher increases from natural to anthropogenically transformed territory. Increase in successful defense is marked for Spotted flycatcher. We made a list of species at which flycatchers react aggressively. The obtained results can be used as possible options for how flycatcher will demonstrate aggression in one or another type of the environment.

This is an article from the Los Alamos Living magazine. Los Alamos National Laboratory sits on a beautiful and unique landscape that provides important protected habitat to many species, including a few that are federally-listed as threatened or endangered. These species are the Jemez Mountains Salamander, the Mexican Spotted Owl, the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse. Part of the job of the Laboratory's wildlife biologists is to survey for these species each year and determine what actions need to be taken if they are found.