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Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant Silvicultrix diadema Scientific name definitions

Andrew Farnsworth and Gary Langham
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2004

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Introduction

Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant is a small flycatcher of the mountains of northwestern South America. Found from northern Venezuela south along the Andes to northern Peru, it inhabits dense undergrowth in forest between 2000 and 2900 meters in elevation. This is a lovely species, rufous-olive above with black wings marked by two rufous wingbars, a broad yellow supercilium, and yellow underparts with an olive breast. Typically staying inconspicuous in its dense habitat, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant sometimes can be detected by its song, a tight, descending trill.

Field Identification

12–12·5 cm. Large-headed appearance, long rictal bristles. Nominate race has crown dark olive, yellow forehead and long supercilium becoming narrower and paler behind eye, lores blackish; upperparts olivaceous or brownish-olive, wings and tail dusky; yellow-olive below, light yellow on throat and belly, more olive on breast; iris dark brown, bill and legs black. Sexes alike. Juvenile has supercilium tinged ochraceous posteriorly, rufous wash on back, ochraceous vent. Race jesupi is virtually indistinguishable from nominate in field; tovarensis is also similar, but brighter yellow wash below; gratiosa has upperwing-coverts tipped dull rufous, flight-feathers edged rufous; rubellula has rufescent brown back and broad rufous edgings on wings.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Races may form two groups based on vocabulary: nominate and tovarensis appear to stand apart from the others, but much more evidence needed. Proposed race meridana (Mérida, in Venezuela) appears indistinguishable from nominate; cajamarcae (Cajamarca, in Peru) synonymized with gratiosa. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Silvicultrix diadema jesupi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Santa Marta Mts (N Colombia).
SUBSPECIES

Silvicultrix diadema rubellula Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Sierra de Perijá, on Colombia–Venezuela border.
SUBSPECIES

Silvicultrix diadema tovarensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Coastal Range in N Venezuela (Aragua, Distrito Federal).
SUBSPECIES

Silvicultrix diadema diadema Scientific name definitions

Silvicultrix diadema diadema
S. d. diadema

Distribution

E Andes in W Venezuela and Colombia.
SUBSPECIES

Silvicultrix diadema gratiosa Scientific name definitions

Silvicultrix diadema gratiosa
S. d. gratiosa

Distribution

W and C Andes and W slope of E Andes of Colombia S to N Peru (Piura, Cajamarca).

Distribution

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.

Habitat

Dense interior and undergrowth of humid montane forest, less often along shrubby forest borders near streams; generally not found in areas with bamboo. Mostly 1700–3100 m, rarely down to 800–900 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Insects, mostly small beetles (Coleoptera). Generally inconspicuous and infrequently seen; usually in pairs in dense undergrowth close to ground; sometimes forages near mixed flocks, but usually not joining them. Perches fairly erect, usually up to 5 m above ground in mossy understorey; frequent wing-flicking and tail-flicking, and aggressive behaviour. Frequently sallies, and gleans from low foliage or near ground, usually taking prey from foliage with audible snap of mandibles; items occasionally taken from twigs or the ground.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Call an accelerating trill, ending with separate lower note; song a thin rapid trill, e.g. “chiiiiiaaaaaiiiii”, also much longer trill, c. 4–4·5 seconds, that slowly rises before dropping slightly at end; dawn song a fast, ascending trill, “prrrreeee” or “preeeee­ee’sku’u’u’u”, repeated at intervals of several seconds.

Breeding

Jan–Oct in Colombia and Mar–Dec in Ecuador. Nest details unclear, but reported as a mossy cup placed on bank. Clutch 4 eggs. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Uncommon to locally fairly common; inconspicuous and often overlooked, possibly more common than it appears to be. Occurs in all protected areas in Andes of Ecuador except Cajas; also found in Sierra Nevada National Park, in Venezuela, and many localities in Colombia, e.g. Tambito Nature Reserve and Cueva de los Guácharos National Park.
Distribution of the Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant - Range Map
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  • Migration
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  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Farnsworth, A. and G. Langham (2020). Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant (Silvicultrix diadema), 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.yebcht1.01
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