Tyrannidae Research Articles

Breeding biology of mimetic species based on secondary data sources should address misidentifications: the case of the lesser kiskadee Philohydor lictor (Aves: Tyrannidae)

ABSTRACT Philohydor lictor is a Neotropical tyrant flycatcher that belongs to a kiskadee-like mimetic system. This system encompasses seven genera with at least one species with strikingly similar plumage patterns, in which smaller species mimic larger species to deceive predators. The reproduction of P. lictor is poorly known, and misidentification of its nests and eggs with other species with similar plumage may be common, creating confusion between them. Here, we aim to summarise the knowledge about its reproductive biology and highlight the common pitfalls in gathering information on mimetic species in citizen science, literature, and museum databases. We assembled 106 reproductive records from between 1898 and 2023, of which 49 were from citizen science, 37 were from the literature, and 20 were from museum egg collections. Most reproductive records were from Panama (31.3%, N = 26) and Brazil (25.3%, N = 21). Egg-laying mainly occurred in the first half of the year and peaked when monthly total precipitation was between 150 and 300 mm (40%, N = 16). Nests were loose cups placed on vegetation near water and built with dry twigs, roots, and tendrils lined with fine twigs. Eggs from museum collections measured 20.9 × 16.1 mm (N = 23). Misidentified records comprised 21.7% (N = 23) of total breeding records and mainly occurred in <1935 museum egg collections. Misidentifications included records of domed nests, eggs larger than expected for the species’ body size, and records from outside the species’ range. These results stress that studies of reproductive biology of mimetic species based on citizen science, literature, and museum datasets are not straightforward, and data should be refined by validation procedures. These validations should include verification that records fall inside the species’ geographic range, include correct description of nests, and match egg size with adult body size.

Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the ancient genus Onychorhynchus (Aves: Onychorhynchidae) suggest cryptic Amazonian diversity

We examined phylogeographic patterns and cryptic diversity within the royal flycatcher, Onychorhynchus coronatus (Aves: Onychorhynchidae), a widespread Neotropical lowland forest tyrant flycatcher. A phylogeny of the six recognized subspecies was constructed from mtDNA sequence data of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit two gene, using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods. Phylogenetic analyses revealed high levels of intraspecific divergence within O. coronatus, supporting the existence of at least six independent lineages. The phylogenetic results uncovered the following relationships: (O. c. swainsoni [Southern Atlantic Forest], (O. c. coronatus [western Amazonia], (O. c. castelnaui [eastern Amazonia], (O. c. mexicanus [Central America], (O. c. occidentalis [Tumbesian], O. c. fraterculus [extreme northwestern South America])))). Biogeographic and dating analyses suggest that vicariant and dispersal events acted across approximately six million years to influence lineage diversification within this genus. Some of those events include the formation of the Amazon River and its tributaries, Andean uplift, and climatically induced vegetational shifts. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses of O. coronatus lineages support a hypothesis of area relationships in which the first divergence event isolated the Southern Atlantic Forest from Amazonia during the Late Miocene/Early Pliocene. This event was followed by the split of western and eastern Amazonia at the Early/Late Pliocene, the divergence of cis‐ and trans‐Andean lowland regions also at the Early/Late Pliocene, the split between Central America and the extreme northwestern South America/Tumbes at the Early/Middle Pleistocene, and the split between extreme northwestern South America and Tumbes at Middle/Late Pleistocene. Subsequent divergence of the southern and northern populations in the western and eastern Onychorhynchus lineages took place during the Pleistocene. Comparison of phylogenetic trees and patterns in Onychorhynchus with those from published work suggests that across large New World radiations such as the Suboscines, some co‐distributed lineages began to diverge long before others, which exemplifies the complexity of their evolutionary history.

An Eccentric Preformative Molt with Incomplete Replacement of Primary Coverts in a Dark-eyed Junco

Though the Dark-eyed Junco has not been reported to replace any juvenile primaries during its preformative molt, one first-cycle bird captured at Stanford, California, in November 2022 had replaced all its remiges but the three innermost primaries. Thus it followed the eccentric pattern more frequently seen in other sparrows, wrens, and some tyrant flycatchers. This novel pattern may be an adaptation to the urban habitats that the junco has recently colonized.

First Record of the Small-billed Elaenia (Elaenia parvirostris) for Western North America

The Small-billed Elaenia (Elaenia parvirostris) is a small flycatcher common on the Atlantic slope of South America. The species breeds below 1000 m elevation in open woodlands, gardens, and forest edges from southern Brazil to northeastern Argentina and migrates north to spend the nonbreeding season in the northern Amazon Basin. Since 2012, it has been documented as a vagrant to North America, with four records from the United States and Canada to date. On the basis of one photographed on Southeast Farallon Island on 4 September 2022, we record a fifth Small-billed Elaenia in North America, a first for California and the Pacific coast. Its novelty notwithstanding, it represents an outlier of an established pattern of vagrancy of tyrant flycatchers from South America reaching North America via overshooting or reverse migration.

Evolution of nest architecture in tyrant flycatchers and allies.

Innovations in nest design are thought to be one potential factor in the evolutionary success of passerine birds (order: Passeriformes), which colonized new ecological niches as they diversified in the Oligocene and Miocene. In particular, tyrant flycatchers and their allies (parvorder: Tyrannida) are an extremely diverse group of New World suboscine passerines occupying a wide range of habitats and exhibiting substantial extant variation in nest design. To explore the evolution of nest architecture in this clade, we first described nest traits across the Tyrannida phylogeny and estimated ancestral nest conditions. We then quantified macroevolutionary transition rates between nest types, examined a potential coevolutionary relationship between nest type and habitat, and used phylogenetic mixed models to determine possible ecological and environmental correlates of nest design. The Tyrannida ancestor probably built a cup nest in a closed habitat, and dome nests independently evolved at least 15 times within this group. Both cup- and dome-nesting species diversified into semi-open and open habitats, and we did not detect a coevolutionary relationship between nest type and habitat. Furthermore, nest type was not significantly correlated with several key ecological, life-history and environmental traits, suggesting that broad variation in Tyrannida nest architecture may not easily be explained by a single factor. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.

Using photographic records to quantify accuracy of bird identifications in citizen science data

Citizen science data are increasingly used for biodiversity monitoring. However, concerns are often raised over the accuracy of species identifications in citizen science databases, as data are collected mostly by non‐professionals. Misidentifications can simultaneously generate two error types: false positives (erroneous reports of a species) and false negatives (lack of reports of the misidentified species). Large‐scale assessments of identification errors should provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of citizen science data. Here we show that citizen science photographic data for birds are trustworthy overall, although problems arise in hard‐to‐identify bird groups. We reviewed over 104 000 images of 377 passerine species from the southern Neotropics (Argentina) stored in eBird – a large citizen science platform – and quantified erroneous reports to calculate precision and recall metrics as measures for data accuracy. Precision increases with fewer false positives and recall increases with fewer false negatives; hence, high values of precision and recall will mirror a higher data accuracy. We found that 97% of the photos of all species were correctly identified. Most species (77%; n = 291) showed high accuracy in their identifications (precision and recall &gt; 95%), with 122 species showing no errors. A few hard‐to‐identify species (10%; n = 40) showed low levels of data quality (63–90% precision or recall). Similarly, few species (12%; n = 46) exhibited intermediate precision or recall scores (90–95%). Further, we uncovered the existence of a complex network of cross‐identifications composed of 272 species, with a predominance of tyrant flycatchers and ovenbirds, reflecting the strong traffic of errors that occurs within these families. To our knowledge, our study provides the first large‐scale quantification of identification errors in photos submitted by citizen science contributors. We underscore the relevance of performing such assessments to understand how identification errors are distributed across a database before analysing data, and provide tools for citizen science stakeholders to direct more specific efforts toward species that need an improvement in data quality.

Seasonal variation in the foraging behavior of neotropical tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) in a Cerrado fragment, Brazil

The foraging behavior of tyrant flycatchers (Aves Tyrannidae) is characterized by a stereotyped way of “search-and-capture” with subtle interspecific variations related to morphological and ecological factors. In this study, we quantified the foraging behavior of Cock-tailed tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor), Streamer-tailed tyrant (Gubernetes yetapa), Gray monjita (Nengetus cinereus), and White-rumped monjita (Xolmis velatus) in the dry and wet seasons to determine whether these species use foraging maneuvers, search time and the distances moved from one unsuccessful perch to a new perch (give-up flight) in different proportions between the 2 seasons. We also studied whether the foraging behavior of Cock-tailed tyrant is influenced by the sex and age of the individual. Our results indicated the birds change their behavior between the dry and wet seasons. Aerial hawking was predominantly used by Cock-tailed tyrant and Streamer-tailed tyrant during both seasons, but by White-rumped monjita only during the wet season. Perch-to-ground was the predominant hunting strategy for Gray monjita during both seasons and for White-rumped monjita during the dry season. We found Cock-tailed tyrant and White-rumped monjita covered greater distances during the wet season, when environmental conditions are more favorable, which may be related to breeding requirements.

Three new feather mite species (Acariformes: Proctophyllodidae, Trouessartiidae) from tyrant flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae) in Brazil.

Tyrannidae is the largest bird family in the world, with nearly 440 species in the Neotropical region and 146 species in Brazil. Despite numerous studies in Brazil, feather mites associated with tyrant flycatchers are still poorly surveyed. In this study, three new feather mites are described from passerines of the family Tyrannidae in Brazil: Tyrannidectes longisetus sp. n. from Elaenia chilensis Hellmayr, Tyrannidectes machetornis sp. n. from Machetornis rixosa (Vieillot), and Trouessartia pitanga sp. n. from Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus). Feather mites have been reported so far from only 19 tyrant flycatcher species in Brazil, representing only about 13% of the 146 species occurring in this country; naturally, many more mites are yet to be found on the remaining 87%. Twenty species of Trouessartia have been described from 21 hosts in this country - mostly passerines - and undetermined species have been reported from 57 host species of 16 families.

Cytogenetic Evidence Clarifies the Phylogeny of the Family Rhynchocyclidae (Aves: Passeriformes).

The phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of Rhynchocyclidae (Aves: Passeriformes) have been the subject of debate since their first description. In most models, Rhynchocyclidae represents a subfamily-level taxon placed within the Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae). Considering that this classification does not include cytotaxonomic characters, we tested the hypothesis that the chromosome organization of Rhynchocyclidae members differs from that of Tyrannidae. Hence, we selected two species, Tolmomyias sulphurescens, and Pitangus sulphuratus, representing Rhynchocyclidae and Tyrannidae, respectively. Results revealed a diploid number (2n) of 60 in T. sulphurescens and 2n = 80 in P. sulphuratus, indicating significant chromosomal differences. Chromosome mapping of Gallus gallus (GGA) and Taeniopygia guttata bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) corresponding to chromosomes GGA1-28 (except 16) revealed that the genome evolution of T. sulphurescens involved extensive chromosome fusions of macrochromosomes and microchromosomes. On the other hand, P. sulphuratus retained the ancestral pattern of organization of macrochromosomes (except the centric fission involving GGA1) and microchromosomes. In conclusion, comparing our results with previous studies in Tyrant Flycatchers and allies indicates that P. sulphuratus has similar karyotypes to other Tyrannidae members. However, T. sulphurescens does not resemble the Tyrannidae family, reinforcing family status to the clade named Rhynchocyclidae.

Two new feather mites of the genus Trouessartia Canestrini, 1899 (Acariformes: Trouessartiidae) from tyrant flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae) in Argentina

Two new species of the feather mite genus Trouessartia (Analgoidea: Trouessartiidae) are described from tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) in Argentina: Trouessartia salvadori sp. nov. from the White-crested Tyrannulet Serpophaga subcristata (Vieillot) and T. gonzalezacunai sp. nov. from the Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus (Boddaert). Trouessartia salvadori sp. nov. is close to T. longiducta Hernandes et Valim, 2015 and most clearly differs from the latter in having, in males, the genital apparatus with wedge-shaped hyaline extensions and the anterior genital papillae situated more distant from the midline than posterior ones, and in females, setae h1 not extending beyond the margin of the interlobar membrane, and the posterior part of the hysteronotal shield bearing well outlined ovate lacunae except in the narrow median area. Trouessartia gonzalezacunai sp. nov. is similar to T. savanae Hernandes, 2014, but is distinguished from that species in having, in males, the terminal lamellae shaped as a fishtail, the epiandrum shaped as a goblet, the apophyses of adanal apodemes represented by thick spine-like tubercles, and in females, setae h1 minute spiculiform about 10 long, and the external copulatory tube shaped as a small rounded tubercle near the margin of interlobar membrane.

A principal role for female vocalizations in the repertoire of a tyrant flycatcher revealed by recordings linked to voucher specimens

While it is well known that both sexes of many bird species vocalize, the importance and prevalence of female vocalizations is often underappreciated. In part, this is due to the paucity of field studies documenting their occurrence. Our knowledge of female vocalizations is particularly limited for the primarily monomorphic suboscines, for which obtaining vocalizations of known sex presents additional methodological hurdles relative to sexually dimorphic species. One solution is to collect a voucher specimen of an individual for which focal recordings have been made, with the sex of the specimen determined during its preparation. Using this approach, we documented a sex-specific vocal repertoire for the Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Myiarchus tuberculifer). We found that not only do females and males have distinct daytime vocal repertoires, but that females had a more diverse repertoire than males, vocalized more frequently, and that the male-specific vocalization was dependent on female vocalization in the context of a female-initiated stimulus–response duet. Although duetting has been anecdotally described for many species of tyrant flycatcher (Tyrannidae), this is only the second formal analysis of female song and duetting in this family and 1 of only 6 published examples for the New World suboscines. These findings deepen our understanding of female vocalizations in these groups and suggest that the female's leading role in territory defense through duetting should be investigated in other species. The “museum approach” employed in this study will be a useful tool to help document many of the potential cases of sex-specific vocal repertoires in other monomorphic species for which sexed and banded populations may be difficult to obtain.

Annual movements of four South American tyrant flycatchers: uncovering intratropical migration patterns

ABSTRACT Capsule Resident populations, and great variation in annual abundance, distance moved, and orientation of movements, were observed in four species of tyrant flycatcher. Aims To investigate the seasonal movement of four tyrant flycatcher species, classified as migrants, and to provide information on the timing of migration, migration routes, and possible environmental drivers of migration. Methods We used data from the eBird citizen science database to explore the spatial and temporal variation in the records of four tyrant flycatchers: the Lesser Elaenia Elaenia chiriquensis, Cattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosa, Swainson's Flycatcher Myiarchus swainsoni, and Rufous Casiornis Casiornis rufus. Results The Lesser Elaenia, Cattle Tyrant, and Swainson's Flycatcher showed clear seasonal movements over the year. Despite that, year-round populations were observed for the studied species throughout their distribution range. Data for the Rufous Casornis suggest a mostly resident population. Conclusions These data highlight the enormous variation in the annual movement patterns of intratropical migrants. Moreover, environmental attributes at different scales may have a strong impact on migratory behaviour in the Southern Hemisphere.

Evolution: Speciation by Migratory Drop-Off inFlycatchers.

Identifying the isolating barriers that lead to species formation is challenging. New genomic, phylogenetic and life-history data in Tyrant flycatchers- the largest bird family- suggest long-distance migration contributes to reproductive isolation among closely related forms and to differential diversification across the family.

Influence of phylogenetic structure and climate gradients on geographical variation in the morphology of Mexican flycatcher forests assemblages (Aves: Tyrannidae).

Morphological variation is strongly related to variation in the ecological characteristics and evolutionary history of each taxon. To explore how geographical variation in morphology is related to different climatic gradients and phylogenetic structure, we analyzed the variation of morphological traits (body size, bill, and wing) of 64 species of tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) distributed in Mexico. We measured these morphological traits in specimens from biological collections and related them to the climatic and topographic data of each collection locality. We performed the analyses separately at two levels: (1) the regional level and (2) the assemblage level, which was split into (assemblage I) lowland forests and (assemblage II) highland forests and other vegetation types. We also calculated the phylogenetic structure of flycatchers of each locality in order to explore the influence of climatic variables and the phylogenetic structure on the morphological variation of tyrant flycatchers, by means of linear mixed-effects models. We mapped the spatial variation of the relationship between morphological traits and environmental gradients, taking into account the phylogenetic structure. Important climatic variables explaining the morphological variation were those of temperature ranges (seasonality) and the results suggest that the phylogenetic clustering increases towards the highlands of Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre del Sur, and the lowlands of Balsas Depression. For the regional level, the spatial distribution of body size showed a pattern coincident with Bergmann’s rule, with increasing in size from south to north. In the tropical lowland forests assemblage, body size tend to increase in seasonally dry forests (western Mexico) and decrease in the humid ones (eastern Mexico). In the assemblage of highland forests and other types of vegetation, morphological trait values increased northeast to southwest. Phylogenetic structure helped to explain the variation of morphology at the assemblage level but not at the regional level. The patterns of trait variation in the lowland and highland assemblages suggest that parts of morphological variation are explained both by the climatic gradients and by the lineage relatedness of communities. Overall, our results suggest that morphological variation is best explained by a varied set of variables, and that regression models representing this variation, as well as integrating phylogenetic patterns at different community levels, provide a new understanding of the mechanisms underlying the links among biodiversity, its geographical setting, and environmental change.

First record of piscivory in the Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus)

Tyrant flycatchers (i.e., Tyrannidae) are primarily insectivores, but they can supplement their diet with spiders, fruits, or small vertebrates. Kingbirds are among the most specialized predators in this family, since they prey almost exclusively on flying insects. We document a Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus) capturing and eating a small fish (Poeciliopsis gracilis) in one of the bodies of water of the main campus of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, in Puebla, Mexico. Although it is known that the Grey Kingbird (T. dominicensis) and the Eastern Kingbird (T. tyrannus) can prey opportunistically on fish, this is the first time fish-eating has been reported for the Tropical Kingbird.

Chromosome Painting in Tyrant Flycatchers Confirms a Set of Inversions Shared by Oscines and Suboscines (Aves, Passeriformes)

Tyrannidae is the largest family of Passeriformes in the Neotropical region. However, despite an interesting chromosomal diversity, there are only few cytogenetic studies of this family, and most of these are based on conventional cytogenetics. Hence, we analyzed here the chromosomal diversity and karyotypical evolution of this group by chromosome painting in 3 different species - Pitangus sulphuratus, Serpophaga subcristata, and Satrapa icterophrys - and make comparisons with previous data. In addition to chromosome painting with Gallus gallus (GGA) and Leucopternis albicollis (LAL) probes, karyotypes were analyzed by conventional staining, C-banding, and FISH with 18S rDNA and telomeric probes. Although this family is characterized by extensive chromosomal variation, we found similar karyotypes and diploid numbers ranging from 2n = 80 in P. sulphuratus to 2n = 82 in S. subcristata and S. icterophrys. Constitutive heterochromatin was located centromerically in all 3 species. Clusters of 18S rDNA were present in 1 pair of microchromosomes, except in S. subcristata, where 2 pairs of microchromosomes were labeled. No interstitial telomeric sequences were detected. GGA and LAL whole-chromosome probes revealed the occurrence of fissions and both paracentric and pericentric inversions commonly seen in other Passeriformes. In general terms, tyrants show the typical karyotype found in Passeriformes, suggesting that the observed rearrangements occurred before the division of the suborders Oscines and Suboscines.

Parental care and external sexual characters in the Warbling Doradito (Pseudocolopteryx flaviventris)

Fil: Cardoni, Daniel Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico 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

The Mouse-colored Tyrannulet (Phaeomyias murina) is a species complex that includes the Cocos Flycatcher (Nesotriccus ridgwayi), an island form that underwent a population bottleneck

Simultaneous examination of evolutionary history in island forms and closely related mainland relatives can provide reciprocal insight into the evolution of island and mainland faunas. The Cocos Flycatcher (Nesotriccus ridgwayi) is a small tyrant flycatcher (Tyrannidae) endemic to Cocos Island, an oceanic island in the eastern Pacific Ocean. We first established its close relationship to the mainland species Mouse-colored Tyrannulet (Phaeomyias murina) using a phylogeny from genome-wide ultraconserved elements and exons. We then used mitochondrial DNA to explore the relationships between Nesotriccus and Phaeomyias populations from across its distribution in Central and South America. We found that Nesotriccus is nested within the Phaeomyias evolutionary tree, and that Phaeomyias represents a complex of at least four evolutionarily distinct species that differ in plumage, voice, and habitat association. Nesotriccus underwent a population bottleneck subsequent to its divergence from Central American and northern South American Phaeomyias populations in the middle Pleistocene. The 46 UCE loci containing alleles that are fixed between the two species are widely distributed across the genome, which suggests that selective or neutral processes responsible for divergence have occurred genome-wide. Overall, our simultaneous examination of Phaeomyias and Nesotriccus revealed divergent levels of genetic diversity and evolutionary histories between island and mainland forms.

Ecological and environmental factors related to variation in egg size of New World flycatchers

Geographical variation in egg size is well documented for several taxa, but remains insufficiently described for birds in spite of a well‐known latitudinal gradient in clutch size. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain avian egg size variation; however, they were not tested on a continental scale. Egg size is a key component of reproductive investment that influences offspring fitness. It is thought to vary geographically as one of a set of correlated life‐history traits that are under selection from varying ecological conditions. We completed a comprehensive literature review and calculated egg sizes for the most widespread clade within tyrant flycatchers, describing for the first time the geographical variation in egg size on a continental scale. We examined the relative support for ecological and environmental variables in explaining egg size variation using multi‐model inference and linear mixed models controlled for phylogenetic autocorrelation among species. We tested five hypotheses and found that: larger eggs occur in colder sites, which is consistent with the embryonic temperature hypothesis; medium/long‐distance migrants had smaller eggs than resident species while short‐distance migrants had the largest eggs; neither species clutch size, nor species nest type, nor evapotranspiration seasonality influenced egg size. Avian egg size is larger in Austral and Neotropical America (ANA), where species are resident or short‐distance migrants, and smaller across the medium/long‐distance migrants of the Nearctic region. In addition, while clutch size increases towards higher northern latitudes and is almost invariable across ANA species, egg sizes vary largely across ANA sites, increasing with southern latitudes and higher elevations and being influenced by summer temperature. While the embryonic temperature hypothesis has been usually linked to parental nest attentiveness, we highlight that environmental temperatures also have strong effects in shaping investment in egg size.

Status and distribution of the doraditos (Tyrannidae: Pseudocolopteryx) in Paraguay, including a new country record

Status and distribution of the doraditos (Tyrannidae: Pseudocolopteryx) in Paraguay, including a new country record