Ecuadorian Tyrannulet Phylloscartes gualaquizae Scientific name definitions

This restricted-range Phylloscartes tyrannulet is found only on the east slope of the northern Andes, where it occurs from southern Colombia through to northern Peru in mossy cloud forests at around 700–1400 m. Ecuadorian Tyrannulet is characterized by its gray crown, whitish throat and cheeks, olive green upperparts relieved by two pale wingbars, and greenish yellow underparts. Its natural history is still very poorly known, but Ecuadorian Tyrannulet prefers the canopy of tall forest, where it forages on arthropods, either alone or in pairs, and is almost always observed within mixed-species flocks. Ecuadorian Tyrannulet is generally considered reasonably common, but the species is easily overlooked, and forested areas within its range are under increasing pressure from logging, mining, and clearance for agriculture. The rather unusual species name is derived from the type locality, Gualaquiza, a town in southeastern Ecuador.