Order Passeriformes Higher classification Myiarchus | Phylum Chordata Family Tyrannidae Scientific name Myiarchus nuttingi Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Tyrant flycatcher, Myiarchus, Paltry tyrannulet, Northern beardless tyrannulet | ||
Nutting's flycatcher, Myiarchus nuttingi, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in semi-arid desert scrub and tropical deciduous forest from western Mexico to northwest Costa Rica. It is normally a year-round resident, but has been known as an occasional vagrant to southern California and Arizona–(southeastern, central, and western), in the United States.
The nest is built in a tree cavity or similar natural or man-made hole, and the normal clutch is three to five eggs.
Adult Nutting's flycatchers are 18–19 cm long and weigh 21-23 g. The upperparts are olive brown, with a darker head and short crest. The breast is gray and the belly is a softly colored yellow. The brown tail feathers are extensively rufous and the wings have rufous outer webs, and there are two dull wing bars. The sexes are similar.
Nutting's flycatcher is separated from other confusingly similar Myiarchus species by its call, a sharp weeep.
This species is primarily an insectivore which catches its prey by flycatching amongst the undergrowth, but will also take berries.
The name of this bird commemorates the zoologist Charles Cleveland Nutting.