Nutting's Flycatcher

About the Nutting's Flycatcher

Nutting's flycatcher (Myiarchus nuttingi) is a passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica. Nutting's flycatcher has three subspecies, the nominate M. n. nuttingi (Ridgway, 1882), M. n. inquietus (Salvin & Godman, 1889), and M. n. flavidior (van Rossem, 1936). Some authors have suggested that M. n. flavidior deserves species status due to some differences in vocalizations and plumage, but the American Ornithological Society did not accept a proposal to separate it. The Clements taxonomy does recognize it as "Nutting's flycatcher (Salvadoran)" within the species. "All three taxa have been thought to occur in both pure and hybrid forms in Oaxaca; [the] complex pattern of zones of contact between races has not been assessed since 1961, and study [is] urgently needed."

Some authors have treated Nutting's flycatcher and the ash-throated flycatcher (M. cinerascens) as conspecific. The species' English name and specific epithet honor Charles Cleveland Nutting (1858–1927). Nutting's flycatcher is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long and weighs about 21 to 24 g (0.74 to 0.85 oz). The sexes... Wikipedia →