| Grey-capped tyrannulet | |
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| Conservation status | |
 Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Phyllomyias |
| Species: | P. griseocapilla |
| Binomial name | |
| Phyllomyias griseocapilla Sclater, PL, 1862 | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Oreotriccus griseocapilla | |
The grey-capped tyrannulet (Phyllomyias griseocapilla) is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is endemic to Brazil.
Taxonomy and systematics
The grey-capped tyrannulet was originally described as Phyllomyias griseocapilla. It was moved to genus Oreotriccus in the early twentieth century, and Oreotriccus was then merged into Phyllomyias following a 1977 publication.
The grey-capped tyrannulet is monotypic.
Description
The grey-capped tyrannulet is about 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a slate-gray crown and nape and bright olive-green back and rump. Their lores and eye area are white with a faint dusky stripe through their eye. Their lower face is pale gray. Their wings are dusky with bright yellow edges on the flight feathers and the ends of the coverts; the latter show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky olive. Their throat is grayish white, their breast pale gray, their flanks bright yellow-green, and their belly whitish. They have a brown iris, a small and rounded blackish bill, and gray legs and feet.
Distribution and habitat
The grey-capped tyrannulet is found in eastern Brazil in south-central Bahia and further south from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to northeastern Rio Grande do Sul. It inhabits the interior and edges of humid primary forest and secondary forest in the tropical zone. In elevation it mostly occurs between 750 and 1,850 m (2,500 and 6,100 ft) but locally is found down to sea level.
Behavior
Movement
The grey-capped tyrannulet is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.
Feeding
The grey-capped tyrannulet feeds on insects, small fruit, and berries; among the last mistletoe (Loranthaceae) is favored. It forages singly and in pairs and occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It forages mostly in the forest's mid-level, taking prey and fruits by gleaning while perched and while briefly hovering.
Breeding
The grey-capped tyrannulet's breeding season has not been fully defined but spans at least from October to January. One nest was a closed globe with a side entrance made mostly from Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). It was built in a tree fork 6 m (20 ft) above the ground and contained two nestlings that both adults were feeding.
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Songs and calls Listen to the grey-capped tyrannulet on xeno-canto |
Vocalization
The grey-capped tyrannulet's song is a "short series of 1-4 high, clear, whistled 'weew--' notes". Its call is a "high, clear, drawn-out, rising 'weeeew' ".
Status
The IUCN has assessed the grey-capped tyrannulet as Near Threatened. Its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. "Agricultural conversion and deforestation for mining and plantation production historically threatened its lowland forests. Current key threats are urbanisation, industrialisation, agricultural expansion, colonisation and associated road-building. it is considered "ncommon to relatively common, but patchily distributed". It occurs in several nominally protected areas, some of whose forests are still being cleared for agriculture and other uses.
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Grey-capped Tyrannulet Phyllomyias griseocapilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22699100A93715006. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22699100A93715006.en. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List. v 14.2. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- Sclater, Philip L. (1862). "Phyllomyias griseocapilla". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 382–383. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, J. W. and E. de Juana (2020). Gray-capped Tyrannulet (Phyllomyias griseocapilla), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gyctyr1.01 retrieved September 19, 2024
- Traylor, M.A., Jr. 1977. A classification of the tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae). Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 148: 129-184
- ^ van Perlo, Ber (2009). A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 290–291. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7.
- Piato, B.G., de Carvalho, O.S. and Gussoni, C.O.A. (2015). First nesting data for Grey-capped Tyrannulet Phyllomyias griseocapilla. Cotinga. 37:125–126