Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher [Paul Mansz Photo]
The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Myiodynastes luteiventris) which is presently being seen (October 20 onward) in Riverview, NB, is a mega-rarity and a Celebration Bird. It is a mega-rarity because it should be in Mexico, not New Brunswick. It is a Celebration Bird because it marks the sighting number 350 to one of our eminent birders.
First let's consider its mega-rarity. This species is listed as 'accidental' here. It is only the third sighting recorded in this province ever. The first was in Waterside in October, 1990. The second sighting was unconfirmed and this is the third. The Waterside sighting was only the second confirmed sighting in Canada ever! This Riverview bird has stayed long enough for many to see and photograph it. See the photos in this post.
And, it is a Celebration Bird. Serious birders keep accurate records of their sightings and the number of different species seen in New Brunswick is an important statistic. For one of our birders, Karen Miller, seeing this very unusual flycatcher on Wednesday, October 21, was an event worth celebrating! It is now listed as her 350th species seen in New Brunswick. That represents a huge milestone. Congratulations Karen from all of us!
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher [Paul Mansz Photo]
The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is a species of Arizona, Mexico and South America. It spends its summers in Arizona, Mexico and Central America. It winters in South America, particularly along the eastern border of the Andes Mountains from Ecuador to Bolivia. Its preferred habitat is deep canyons with sycamore trees at elevations of 1500 to 2200 metres (5,000 to 7,500 feet) above sea level.
So what is it doing here? That is one of the amazing things about birds. They seem to be able to show up in the most unusual places and at unusual times. One thing birders know is that sometimes unusual birds show up after severe storms. The recent hurricanes along the eastern seaboard and Atlantic Ocean are probably the reason this individual is here. It was probably migrating southward from Arizona or Mexico out over the ocean and got caught in the high winds of some of those hurricanes which brought it here. It could also be a 'vagrant' which sometimes happens after the breeding season. A few individuals wander out of their range. This is a long way for a vagrant to wander but it could also then have been caught up in some of the heavy winds which brought it north. We still have a lot to learn about birds and their life histories.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher [Gilles Belliveau Photo]
The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is a large flycatcher that looks quite different from any other North American bird. It shows boldly streaked upperparts, a rufous tail and rump, a white breast and throat with dark streaks, and a pale yellow belly. Immediately noticeable are the black streak through its eye, the black malar stripe and the large dark-coloured bill. The heavy streaking on the back is caused by the light edges to the back and wing feathers. Although none of us has seen it yet, this bird has a beautiful crest which it raises to attract a mate or in aggressively defending its breeding territory. When open it appears circular and is a brilliant yellow with a black border. The bird is 18 to 20 cm (7.2 to 8 inches) long which is slightly smaller than our Eastern Kingbird.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher [Clifford Twist Photo]
This flycatcher flies with shallow wing beats. It likes to perch on the top of the highest tree from which it darts out to catch insects on the wing. It also eats berries and other small fruits. Reports say it will readily eat meal worms.
This species is a cavity nester. It picks cavities in sycamore trees about 5 to 15 metres (20 to 50 feet) off the ground and will fight woodpeckers for the right to use them. It prefers open wooded areas along streams. The female likes to sit on the nest so it can look out the opening, so she will fill up a deep hole with debris and build the nest on top of that. The nest is made of stems, pine needles and leaves. It lays 2 to 4 buff eggs marked beautifully with various shades of brown and lavender. The female incubates the eggs for 15 to 16 days while the male sits nearby singing to her and protecting her.
The nest and its construction is described by A. C. Bent in his Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies. Because the female does not like to incubate in the dark the nest is close to the opening of the nest cavity. The nest is made of petioles and midribs of dried leaves of the walnut tree. Sometimes there are a few pine needles or weed stems added. The petioles are stiff and curved. These she arranges matching the curvature to the roundness of the nest. There is no soft lining in the nest but the leaf midribs make it comfortable for the young. The inner diameter is 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) and the outside of the nest is built to the cavity edges. The female builds the nest and the male follows her around and encourages her with his 'sweet' song.
The call of this species is an excited chatter that sounds like the squeak of a rubber ducky. It does have a song which is a soft melodious warble which is given at dawn from a high perch. For protection the young are trained to remain motionless while the adults make a certain noise.
The male Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is aggressive and quarrelsome. They make a lot of noise and do a lot of bickering over nesting sites and their protection after the occupants are settled.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher [Clifford Twist Photo]
It is not known how long this bird will stay in our area. There is a lot of fruit in the area it has chosen and it is presently on the properties of nature-loving people. It should be fine for the near future. But, winter is coming. The bird is somewhat used to cold temperatures given the elevations at which it normally lives. These, however, do not match our cold winters. Knowing it will eat mealworms perhaps gives it a chance if the local birders are willing to locate a source and daily feed them. That is not often done in this area but it is possible to purchase them over the internet.
The bird is not likely to turn around and fly south. This doesn't usually happen because for some reason in birds that appear way off their normal range the bird's navigation system is confused.
No comments:
Post a Comment