Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher

About the Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher

The rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher (Poecilotriccus ruficeps) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher was originally described as Todirostrum ruficeps. Genus Poecilotriccus was erected for it and several other species in 1884. The species was long called the rufous-crowned tody-tyrant. By the early twenty-first century genus Poecilotriccus had species called both "tody-tyrant" and "tody-flycatcher" so taxonomic systems began renaming the "tyrants" to "flycatcher".

The rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher has these four subspecies: P. r. melanomystax Hellmayr, 1927 P. r. ruficeps (Kaup, 1852) P. r. rufigenis (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1877) P. r. peruvianus Chapman, 1924 One author has suggested that two or more of the subspecies may represent full species.

The rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher is about 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs about 6.6 g (0.23 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. r. ruficeps have a bright rufous crown and a gray nape that are separated by a black line that... Wikipedia →