Tyrant flycatchers and allies | Tyrannidae

Tirannen | Tiránidos

From a fixed, open lookout a passing insect is taken with a short sally — sometimes audible as a dry snap of the bill — after which the bird returns to the same perch and waits motionless again. Stiff bristles along the broad, flat bill shield the eyes during the strike. Song in this family is not learned but innate, and consists of a handful of short, sharp phrases; several species with almost identical grey-green plumage can be told apart in the field by voice alone. In the early morning, before it is light, two or three of those phrases are repeated in shifting order for half an hour. Many species carry a concealed patch of colour on the crown that is raised only in excitement. The nest is defended fiercely: an approaching hawk or crow is attacked and pursued well beyond the territory. Besides insects, berries are taken in late summer, often plucked from the bush in flight.