Panama Flycatcher Myiarchus panamensis Scientific name definitions

The Panama Flycatcher is a Middle American Myiarchus that closely resembles several congeners.  Ranging from Costa Rica and Panama south to western Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador, the species inhabits clearings and other shrubby open areas below 600 meters in elevation.  This is a typical Myiarchus in that it is lanky, crested, and stout-billed, gray-brown above and pale yellow on the belly; vocal characteristics are useful in identifying this and other members of this confusing genus.  The Panama Flycatcher has a call that is a mournful, two-part, descending whistle that has a snappy quality to it.  Previously, the species was considered to be within the Short-crested Flycatcher complex.

19 cm; 28·1–38·5 g. Relatively plain olive-backed Myiarchus with no rufous in tail, faint wingbars. Nominate race is greyish-olive above, centres of crown feathers darker and creating both streaked effect and a contrast with upperparts; wings as back, outer webs of tertials pale whitish-yellow; tail brown, outer pair of rectrices usually with outer vanes barely paler than inner ones, normally no rufous (likely only in fresh plumage); throat and breast grey, breast and undertail-coverts yellow, tending to be brighter in centre of abdomen, upper flanks often with greenish wash, tibial feathering olive-brown; iris, bill and legs dark, lower mandible sometimes slightly paler basally (upper Magdalena Valley, in Colombia); inside of mouth orange. Distinguished from similar M. venezuelensis by darker and unstreaked throat, less rufous in primaries, brighter and more lemon-yellow belly; from extremely similar M. ferox by generally lighter dorsal surface, but often indistinguishable on basis of plumage alone. Sexes similar. Juvenile has wing-coverts and tail feathers edged rufous. Race actiosus has greyer upperparts and paler abdomen than nominate.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Tropical deciduous forest, gallery forest, secondary forest, mangrove forest and arid lowland scrub; open woodland, also other semi-open habitats (borders of fields, pastures with scattered brush). Mangroves especially W of Andes; race actiosus confined to mangroves. Sea-level to 1400 m.

Presumably sedentary; possibly minor altitudinal movement in Colombia.

Insects and fruit; grass “berries” in edge habitat. Hawks flying insects from open perches; sallies to snatch prey from vegetation. Runs along ground or mangrove roots in manner of a thrush (Turdus), sallying up at flying or resting insects.

Repeated hiccups (normally disyllabic), rasping whistles and rolls in response to intruding conspecifics; long series of rasping whistle notes followed by one or more roll notes that descend in frequency; occasional “huit” note given. Dawn song comprises isolated, short, slowly modulated whistles given every 2–3 seconds (identical with less frequently emitted notes given by foraging birds at other times of day). Differences in calls from those of M. ferox exceed usual degree of difference between Myiarchus species.

Breeds late Mar to early Jun; possibly later, May–July, in upper Magdalena Valley (Colombia), as suggested by pre-breeding moult being completed late Apr and juveniles found as late as mid-Oct. Nest in cavity, lined with bulky mass of rootlets, vines, leaf fragments, plant down, animal hair and snakeskin, usually 4–12 m above ground in tree, occasionally under an eave; also recorded as using nestboxes, upper end of metal pipe (diameter 10 cm) set at an angle in ground, and crevice 3 m above ground in low cliff flanking road. Clutch 2–3 eggs; no information on incubation and fledging periods.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon to fairly common; uncommon in E Panama (Darién). Reported since 2012 from coastal N Ecuador, where either a recent colonist or overlooked in the past (2 Freile, J.F., Ahlman, R., Brinkhuizen, D.M., Greenfield, P.J., Solano-Ugalde, A., Navarrete, L. and Ridgely, R.S. (2013). Rare birds in Ecuador: first annual report of the Committee of Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology (CERO). Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías. 5(2): B24–B41. Close ). Occurs in Carara Biological Reserve and Tarcol Lodge, in Costa Rica, and Tambito Nature Reserve, in Colombia.