The white-fronted tyrannulet (Acrochordopus zeledoni) is a species of bird in subfamily Elaeniinae of family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.[2] It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.[3][4]
| White-fronted tyrannulet | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Tyrannidae |
| Genus: | Acrochordopus |
| Species: | A. zeledoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Acrochordopus zeledoni (Lawrence, 1869)
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy and systematics
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet has a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described as Pogonotriccus ?[sic] zeledoni.[5] During much of the twentieth century it was placed in genus Acrochordopus, which in the 1970s was merged into Phyllomyias. At about that time it was lumped into the rough-legged tyrannulet (then Phyllomyias burmeisteri, now Acrochordopus burmeisteri).[6] In September 2023 the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society resurrected genus Acrochordopus, restored the white-fronted tyrannulet to full species status, and moved it back into Acrochordopus.[7] The North American Classification Committee of the AOS followed suit in July 2024 as did the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) in August 2024.[2][3] As of September 2024 the Clements taxonomy and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retain the species in genus Phyllomyias.[8][9]
The white-fronted tyrannulet has these five subspecies:[2][8][9]
- P. z. zeledoni (Lawrence, 1869)
- P. z. leucogonys (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1871)
- P. z. wetmorei (Aveledo & Pons, 1953)
- P. z. viridiceps (Zimmer, JT & Phelps, WH, 1944)
- P. z. bunites (Wetmore & Phelps, WH Jr, 1956)
Description
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet is about 11 to 12.5 cm (4.3 to 4.9 in) long and weighs about 12.5 g (0.44 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. z. zeledoni have a slate colored crown and nape and an olive-green back and rump. Their forehead ("front") is white and the color extends through the lores and over the eye. They have a narrow dusky line through the eye and their face below it is grizzled whitish. Their wings are dusky with two yellow bars. Their tail is olive-green. Their throat is whitish and their underparts yellow-gray that is a purer yellow in the center.[10][11][12]
The other subspecies differ from the nominate and each other thus:[10][13][14][15][16][excessive citations]
- P. z. leucogonys: duller green back and paler yellow underparts than nominate
- P. z. wetmorei: overall darker than nominate
- P. z. viridiceps: slate-gray forehead and olive-green crown
- P. z. bunites: slate-gray of nape extends further towards the back than on nominate
All subspecies have a reddish brown or pale sandy gray iris and black or fuscous legs and feet. The nominate subspecies and P. z. leucogonys have a black or fuscous maxilla and a pale pink mandible. The other subspecies have an all black or fuscous bill.[10]
Distribution and habitat
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet has a highly disjunct distribution. No subspecies' range abuts another and even within each range the distribution is not continuous. The subspecies are found thus:[3][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][excessive citations]
- P. z. zeledoni: from the Cordillera de Tilarán in northern Costa Rica south into western Panama's Chiriquí Province
- P. z. leucogonys: eastern Andean slope in Colombia's Eastern Andes, eastern Ecuador, and Peru as far south as northwestern Puno Department
- P. z. wetmorei: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northeastern Colombia and Serranía del Perijá on the Colombia-Venezuela border
- P. z. viridiceps: Venezuelan Coastal Range between Carabobo and Miranda states
- P. z. bunites: Chimantá-tepui in southeastern Venezuela's Bolívar state
The white-fronted tyrannulet primarily inhabits the canopy of humid evergreen forest in the subtropical and tropical zones. It also inhabits the forest edges, clearings with scattered trees, and mature secondary forest. In elevation it occurs between 800 and 2,800 m (2,600 and 9,200 ft) in Costa Rica, 900 and 1,850 m (3,000 and 6,100 ft) in Panama, 500 and 1,000 m (1,600 and 3,300 ft) in Colombia, 600 and 1,500 m (2,000 and 4,900 ft) in Ecuador, 750 and 1,600 m (2,500 and 5,200 ft) in Peru, and 475 and 1,800 m (1,600 and 5,900 ft) in Venezuela.[3][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][excessive citations]
Behavior
editMovement
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet is a year-round resident throughout its range.[3]
Feeding
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet's diet has not been studied but is known to include arthropods and small berries. It usually forages singly and often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. It forages mostly in the forest's mid- and upper levels and sometimes lower, taking prey and fruits by gleaning while perched and while briefly hovering.[10][14][15][16][excessive citations]
Breeding
editThe white-fronted tyrannulet's breeding season has not been defined but is known to include August in Panama. One nest was a cup made of moss on a horizontal branch 12 m (40 ft) up in the canopy of a tree. Both members of the pair built it. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.[10]
Vocalization
editWhat is thought to be the white-fronted tyrannulet's song is "a high-pitched and piercing 'tzeeee' or 'sweeeu' either given as a protracted series of single notes [or] sometimes in a descending series of up to 5-7 notes".[14] It typically vocalizes the most in the morning.[10]
Status
editThe IUCN has assessed the white-fronted tyrannulet as being of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered rare in Costa Rica, "local and enigmatic" in Colombia, "rare and local (overlooked?)" in Ecuador, "poorly known" in Peru, and "very uncommon and local" in Venezuela.[12][13][14][15][16][excessive citations]
References
edit- ^ a b BirdLife International (2022). "Phyllomyias zeledoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22699075A168262251. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List. v 14.2. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e R. Terry Chesser, Shawn M. Billerman, Kevin J. Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Blanca E. Hernández-Baños, Rosa Alicia Jiménez, Oscar Johnson, Andrew W. Kratter, Nicholas A. Mason, Pamela C. Rasmussen, and J.V. Remsen, Jr. "Sixty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithological Society s Check-list of North American Birds". Ornithology 2024, vol. 141:1-20 retrieved July 18, 2024
- ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 July 2024. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved July 28, 2024
- ^ Lawrence, George N. (1870). Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York. Vol. IX. New York: Lyceum of Natural History. p. 144–145.
- ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 July 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 28, 2024
- ^ Pearman, M.; Areta, J.I. (September 28, 2023). "Species limits and generic placement of Phyllomyias burmeisteri and the generic limits of Tyranniscus: 1. Treat Phyllomyias/Acrochordopus zeledoni as a separate species from P./A. burmeisteri. 2. Restore Acrochordopus (Proposal 962)". South American Classification Committee RECENT CHANGES. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 28, 2023
- ^ a b HBW and BirdLife International (2024). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 8.1. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/taxonomy retrieved August 26, 2024
- ^ a b c d e f g h Fitzpatrick, J. W., J. del Hoyo, G. M. Kirwan, and N. Collar (2022). White-fronted Tyrannulet (Phyllomyias zeledoni), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.roltyr1.01.1 retrieved September 19, 2024
- ^ a b c vanPerlo, Ber (2006). Birds of Mexico and Central America. Princeton Illustrated Checklists. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. Plate 64, map 64.1. ISBN 0691120706.
- ^ a b c d Garrigues, Richard; Dean, Robert (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca: Zona Tropical/Comstock/Cornell University Press. p. 190–191. ISBN 978-0-8014-7373-9.
- ^ a b c d McMullan, Miles; Donegan, Thomas M.; Quevedo, Alonso (2010). Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Bogotá: Fundación ProAves. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-9827615-0-2.
- ^ a b c d e f Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. Vol. II. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 454. ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7.
- ^ a b c d e Schulenberg, T.S., D.F. Stotz, D.F. Lane, J.P. O’Neill, and T.A. Parker III. 2010. Birds of Peru. Revised and updated edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Plate 186
- ^ a b c d e Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela (second ed.). Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. Plate 48.