Illustration: 40602 female40602♀Gen. Char.Similar in general character toM. empidonax, but with fulvous, fulvous-olive and rufous tints, instead of clear olive, gray, white, and sulphur-yellow. Head crested; bristles of gape reaching nearly to tip of bill. Feet very weak.The type of this genus (M. phæocercus) is quite different in form fromEmpidonax, the nearest North American ally, but bothM. pallescensandfulvifronscould with little violence be placed in it. There is no positive character to separate the latter from the average of species ofEmpidonax, except it be the color. The crest is not at all conspicuous, nor is there any appreciable difference of form; while in the form of the bill these species are much nearerEmpidonaxthanMitrephorus. The legs, however, are weaker, and the rictal bristles longer.There are two forms of the group, as defined by Sclater: one embracingE. phæocercus, Sclater (Mexico and Guatemala), andE. aurantiiventris,Lawr.(Costa Rica); the otherE. fulvifrons, Giraud, andpallescens, Coues. The differences between the last two, which are probably merely races of one species, may be expressed as follows:—M. fulvifrons.Olivaceous above; beneath ochraceous-fulvous; darkest on the breast, paler on throat and crissum. External edge of outer tail-feathers whitish.Olive of back fulvous; under parts decided ochrey-fulvous. Wing-bands tinged with ochraceous; wing rather pointed. First quill equal to sixth; third, longest. Wing, 2.65; tail, 2.40; tarsus, .61.Hab.Northern Mexico …var.fulvifrons.[97]Olive of back grayish; beneath obscurely ochrey-fulvous and much paler; wing-bands grayish-white; wing rather rounded. First quill shorter than sixth; fourth longest. Length, 4.75; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.00; tarsus, .55.Hab.Arizona …var.pallescens.Mitrephorus fulvifrons,var.pallescens,Coues.BUFF-BREASTED LEAST FLYCATCHER.Mitrephorus pallescens,Coues,Pr. Philad. Ac.1866, 63 (Fort Whipple, Arizona).—Cooper,Orn. Calif. I, 334.Mitrephorus fulvifrons,Elliot,Illust. B. Am. I, pl. xix.Sp. Char.Above fulvous-gray, with an ashy cast on the tail and crown; lighter across the nape. Two grayish-white bands across the wings, and the terminal half of the secondaries and outer web of lateral tail-feather broadly edged with the same. Whole lower parts, including the lores and cheeks, and lining of wing, light ochraceous, very deeply ochraceous across the breast and on the sides, nearly white on the abdomen and crissum. Upper mandible deep black, lower whitish (“bright orange-yellow” in life); feet deep black. Wing-formula: second, third, and fourth quills equal and longest, 5, 6, 1. Tail very slightly emarginated, but lateral feather a little the shortest.Male.Length, 4.75; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.00; culmen, .54 (measured to concealed base); breadth of bill, .24; tarsus, .54; middle toe, .28.Female.Colors paler; deep ochraceous of breast, etc., less distinct.Hab.Southern border of Middle Province of United States (Fort Whipple, Arizona).The trueM. fulvifronsof Mexico differs simply in deeper colors, the shade above being decidedly fulvous, instead of grayish, and the lower parts much more deeply ochraceous, the abdomen not approaching white; the wing-markings are also tinged with ochraceous.Habits.This species, both new to our fauna and previously undescribed, was taken by Dr. Coues at Fort Whipple. It belongs to a newly established genus of Flycatchers, recently established by Mr. Sclater, similar toEmpidonax. So far as known, its members are more or less tropical in their residence. It is a rare summer resident at Fort Whipple, arriving there early in May. Nothing is stated in reference to its habits, except that they correspond with those of theEmpidonaces.GenusPYROCEPHALUS,Gould.Pyrocephalus,Gould,Zoöl.of Beagle, 1838, 44.Illustration: Pyrocephalus rubineusPyrocephalus rubineus.38206Gen. Char.Tarsus moderate, very little longer than the middle toe; hind toe not longer than the lateral. Bill slender, very narrow at the base. Tail broad, even, considerably shorter than the wings (about four fifths), which reach beyond the middle of the tail. First quill shorter than the fifth. Head with a conspicuous rounded crest. Sexes dissimilar. Male with the crown and lower parts red (except inE. obscurus); tail, back, and wings dark brown.The single North American species of this genus is readily distinguished among other Flycatchers by the bright red of the under parts. The female is quite different in color from the male, being peculiar in this respect among North American Flycatchers.Species and Varieties.E. obscurus.[98]Entirely uniform sepia-brown beneath, with a wine-purple tinge posteriorly and on the forehead.Hab.Peru.E. rubineus.Whole crown, and entire lower parts (except lining of wing), brilliant scarlet-red; a stripe on side of the head, and entire upper parts, sepia-brownish.Female.Whitish anteriorly beneath, more or less reddish posteriorly; anterior portion with dusky streaks; crown dusky.Youngwithout any red; feathers above bordered with lighter; streaks beneath numerous. Length, about 5.50.The brown of a dark sepia cast, edges of wing-feathers not appreciably paler, the red with a slight carmine shade. No whitish on the edge of outer nor on tips of other tail-feathers.Hab.South America …var.rubineus.[99]Similar to last, but outer web of lateral tail-feather distinctly whitish, the rest tipped slightly with whitish.Hab.Northern South America (Bogota and Guayaquil) …var.nanus.[100]The brown of a decided grayish cast, and edges of wing-feathers very distinctly paler; red more scarlet (but equally intense). No whitish tips to tail-feathers, and no white edge to the outer.Hab.Middle America; north into southern border of United States …var.mexicanus.Pyrocephalus rubineus,var.mexicanus,Sclater.RED FLYCATCHER.Pyrocephalus rubineus,Lawrence,Ann. N. Y. Lyc. V, May, 1851, 115.Cassin,Ill. I,IV, 1853, 127,pl. xvii.—Baird,Birds N. Am.1858, 201.—Salvadori,Atti. Milan.vii, 1864.—Heerm.X,S, 38.Tyrannula coronata,Swainson,Wagler, Isis, 1831, 529.Pyrocephalus nanus,Woodhouse, Sitgreave’s Report, 1853, 75 (not ofGould).Pyrocephalus mexicanus,Sclater,P. Z. S.1859, 45, 56, 366; 1864, 176.—Ib.Ibis, 1859, 442.—Ib.Catal.227.—Sclater & Salvin, Ibis, 1860, 399 (Guatemala).—Cabanis,Mus. Hein. ii, 1859, 68.—Cooper,Orn. Cal.1, 1870, 333.Sp. Char.Head with a full rounded or globular crest. Tail even. Crown and whole under parts bright carmine-red; rest of upper parts, including the cheeks as far as the bill, and the lining of the wing, dull grayish-brown; the upper tail-coverts darker; the tail almost black; greater and middle wing-coverts and edges of secondaries and tertialsdull white towards the edges.Femalesimilar, without the crest; the crown brown, like the back; the under parts whitish anteriorly, streaked with brown; behind white, tinged with red or ochraceous. Length of male about 5.50; wing, 3.25; tail, 2.75.Youngresembling the female, but lacking any trace of red, and with each feather of the upper parts bordered with whitish, producing a very variegated appearance.Hab.Valleys of Rio Grande and Gila southward. Localities: Honduras (Moore,P. Z. S.1859, 55); Cordova (Scl.1856, 296); Vera Cruz, hot to alpine regions (Sum.M. B. S. I, 557); Yucatan (Lawr.IX, 201); Arizona (Coues,P. A. N. S.1866, 64).Illustration: Pyrocephalus rubineusPyrocephalus rubineus.Every stage between the youngest plumage described and the adult male may be found in a large series of immature specimens: the shade of the red in both sexes frequently varies, it being sometimes of a slightly rosaceous tint, and again decidedly inclining to orange; its amount in the female varies almost with the individual. The two South American races (var.nanusandvar.rubineus; see synopsis) differ in having the brown of upper parts, etc., very decidedly darker; no appreciable light edgings to wing-feathers, and sometimes an appreciably more intense red. One of them (nanus) has a distinct white outer edge to lateral tail-feather, and slight whitish tips to the other; the other has no more than a trace of these markings.Habits.This brilliant species is a rare summer visitant to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and probably Southern California. It is found throughout Middle America. It has only within a few years been known as a resident within our territory, but was first observed in Texas by Captain McCown, of the United States Army, in 1850, and its claim to a place in our fauna publicly made by Mr. G. N. Lawrence. Captain McCown, in some notes on the habits of certain Texan birds, published in the Annals of theN. Y.Lyceum, speaks of this Flycatcher as being seldom seen, and of his having noticed not more than a dozen in Western Texas. He always found them near ponds of water, in the vicinity of the Rio Grande, generally on a tree or a stake near the water. He only met with one nest, and this was inaccessible. It was built on an acacia over the water.Lieutenant Couch, in a letter to Mr. Cassin, states that he first met with this bird at Charco Escondido, in Tamaulipas, on the 10th of March. The males had come in advance of the females, as the latter were not observed until several weeks afterwards. Early in the morning, and again about sunset, one of these birds came to the artificial lake constructed there for the supply of water to the inhabitants. It appeared to be of a very quiet and inoffensive disposition, usually sitting on the upper branches of the trees, occasionally uttering a low chirp. He subsequently met with these birds in NuevaLeon. In their habits they appeared to be in some respects similar to the smaller northern Flycatchers.Dr. Henry also met with these birds in the vicinity of Fort Webster, in New Mexico; he found them exceedingly rare, and his observations were confirmatory of their partiality for the neighborhood of water. His first specimen was obtained on the Rio Mimbres, near Fort Webster, in the month of March.Dr. Woodhouse met with an individual of this Flycatcher near the settlement of Quihi, in Texas, in the month of May. It was breeding in a thicket. He did not hear it utter any note.According to the observations of Mr. Sumichrast, this bird is very abundant throughout the entire Department of Vera Cruz, common everywhere, at all heights, in the hot, the temperate, and the alpine regions. Mr. Dresser obtained a fine male specimen from the San Pedro River, near San Antonio, in August. Another, a young male, was obtained September 25. It was very shy, and made its way through the low bushes like the Hedge Sparrow of Europe. A third was obtained April 5, after much difficulty. It was not so shy as the others, but kept more in the open country, always perching on some elevated place. Its note resembled that of theMilvulus forficatus.This bird, according to Dr. Coues, is not found as far to the north as Fort Whipple, among the mountains, though it extends up the valley of the Colorado to an equally high latitude. It is also said to be common in the valley of the Gila and in Southern Arizona generally.Mr. E. C. Taylor (Ibis,VI,p.86) mentions finding this Flycatcher tolerably abundant both at Ciudad Bolivar and at Barcelona, but he did not meet with a specimen on the island of Trinidad. He notes its great resemblance in habits to theMuscicapæof Europe.Dr. Kennerly reports that these birds were often observed by him at various points on the road, from Boca Grande to Los Nogales. It generally selected its perch on the topmost branch of some bush or tree, awaiting the approach of its insect food, and then sallying out to capture it. Sometimes it poised itself in a graceful manner in the air, while its bright plumage glistened in the sun like some brightly colored flower.Dr. Heermann procured a specimen of this Flycatcher at Fort Yuma, where he was informed that it was quite common in spring. He saw other individuals of this species at Tucson in Sonora. These birds, he states, station themselves upon the topmost branches of trees, and when pursued appear quite wild, flying to a considerable distance before again alighting.Dr. Cooper saw at Fort Mohave, May 24, a bird which he had no doubt was an individual of this species, but he was not able to procure it. It perched upon the tops of bushes, and would not suffer him to approach within shooting distance. One has since been taken by Mr. W. W. Holden in Colorado Valley,lat.34°, April 18.Mr. Joseph Leyland found this species common on the flats near Peten, in Guatemala, as also on the pine ridges of Belize. They have, he states, a singular habit of spinning round and round on the wing, and then dropping suddenly with wings loose and fluttering as though shot,—apparently done for amusement. They lay three or four light-colored eggs in a small nest composed of light grass and lined with cottony materials. Mr. Xantus found the nest and eggs of this species at San José, Mexico, May 16, 1861.
Illustration: 40602 female40602♀
40602♀
Gen. Char.Similar in general character toM. empidonax, but with fulvous, fulvous-olive and rufous tints, instead of clear olive, gray, white, and sulphur-yellow. Head crested; bristles of gape reaching nearly to tip of bill. Feet very weak.
The type of this genus (M. phæocercus) is quite different in form fromEmpidonax, the nearest North American ally, but bothM. pallescensandfulvifronscould with little violence be placed in it. There is no positive character to separate the latter from the average of species ofEmpidonax, except it be the color. The crest is not at all conspicuous, nor is there any appreciable difference of form; while in the form of the bill these species are much nearerEmpidonaxthanMitrephorus. The legs, however, are weaker, and the rictal bristles longer.
There are two forms of the group, as defined by Sclater: one embracingE. phæocercus, Sclater (Mexico and Guatemala), andE. aurantiiventris,Lawr.(Costa Rica); the otherE. fulvifrons, Giraud, andpallescens, Coues. The differences between the last two, which are probably merely races of one species, may be expressed as follows:—
M. fulvifrons.Olivaceous above; beneath ochraceous-fulvous; darkest on the breast, paler on throat and crissum. External edge of outer tail-feathers whitish.
Olive of back fulvous; under parts decided ochrey-fulvous. Wing-bands tinged with ochraceous; wing rather pointed. First quill equal to sixth; third, longest. Wing, 2.65; tail, 2.40; tarsus, .61.Hab.Northern Mexico …var.fulvifrons.[97]
Olive of back grayish; beneath obscurely ochrey-fulvous and much paler; wing-bands grayish-white; wing rather rounded. First quill shorter than sixth; fourth longest. Length, 4.75; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.00; tarsus, .55.Hab.Arizona …var.pallescens.
Mitrephorus fulvifrons,var.pallescens,Coues.
BUFF-BREASTED LEAST FLYCATCHER.
Mitrephorus pallescens,Coues,Pr. Philad. Ac.1866, 63 (Fort Whipple, Arizona).—Cooper,Orn. Calif. I, 334.Mitrephorus fulvifrons,Elliot,Illust. B. Am. I, pl. xix.
Sp. Char.Above fulvous-gray, with an ashy cast on the tail and crown; lighter across the nape. Two grayish-white bands across the wings, and the terminal half of the secondaries and outer web of lateral tail-feather broadly edged with the same. Whole lower parts, including the lores and cheeks, and lining of wing, light ochraceous, very deeply ochraceous across the breast and on the sides, nearly white on the abdomen and crissum. Upper mandible deep black, lower whitish (“bright orange-yellow” in life); feet deep black. Wing-formula: second, third, and fourth quills equal and longest, 5, 6, 1. Tail very slightly emarginated, but lateral feather a little the shortest.Male.Length, 4.75; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.00; culmen, .54 (measured to concealed base); breadth of bill, .24; tarsus, .54; middle toe, .28.Female.Colors paler; deep ochraceous of breast, etc., less distinct.
Hab.Southern border of Middle Province of United States (Fort Whipple, Arizona).
The trueM. fulvifronsof Mexico differs simply in deeper colors, the shade above being decidedly fulvous, instead of grayish, and the lower parts much more deeply ochraceous, the abdomen not approaching white; the wing-markings are also tinged with ochraceous.
Habits.This species, both new to our fauna and previously undescribed, was taken by Dr. Coues at Fort Whipple. It belongs to a newly established genus of Flycatchers, recently established by Mr. Sclater, similar toEmpidonax. So far as known, its members are more or less tropical in their residence. It is a rare summer resident at Fort Whipple, arriving there early in May. Nothing is stated in reference to its habits, except that they correspond with those of theEmpidonaces.
GenusPYROCEPHALUS,Gould.
Pyrocephalus,Gould,Zoöl.of Beagle, 1838, 44.
Illustration: Pyrocephalus rubineusPyrocephalus rubineus.38206
Pyrocephalus rubineus.38206
Gen. Char.Tarsus moderate, very little longer than the middle toe; hind toe not longer than the lateral. Bill slender, very narrow at the base. Tail broad, even, considerably shorter than the wings (about four fifths), which reach beyond the middle of the tail. First quill shorter than the fifth. Head with a conspicuous rounded crest. Sexes dissimilar. Male with the crown and lower parts red (except inE. obscurus); tail, back, and wings dark brown.
The single North American species of this genus is readily distinguished among other Flycatchers by the bright red of the under parts. The female is quite different in color from the male, being peculiar in this respect among North American Flycatchers.
Species and Varieties.
E. obscurus.[98]Entirely uniform sepia-brown beneath, with a wine-purple tinge posteriorly and on the forehead.Hab.Peru.
E. rubineus.Whole crown, and entire lower parts (except lining of wing), brilliant scarlet-red; a stripe on side of the head, and entire upper parts, sepia-brownish.Female.Whitish anteriorly beneath, more or less reddish posteriorly; anterior portion with dusky streaks; crown dusky.Youngwithout any red; feathers above bordered with lighter; streaks beneath numerous. Length, about 5.50.
The brown of a dark sepia cast, edges of wing-feathers not appreciably paler, the red with a slight carmine shade. No whitish on the edge of outer nor on tips of other tail-feathers.Hab.South America …var.rubineus.[99]
Similar to last, but outer web of lateral tail-feather distinctly whitish, the rest tipped slightly with whitish.Hab.Northern South America (Bogota and Guayaquil) …var.nanus.[100]
The brown of a decided grayish cast, and edges of wing-feathers very distinctly paler; red more scarlet (but equally intense). No whitish tips to tail-feathers, and no white edge to the outer.Hab.Middle America; north into southern border of United States …var.mexicanus.
Pyrocephalus rubineus,var.mexicanus,Sclater.
RED FLYCATCHER.
Pyrocephalus rubineus,Lawrence,Ann. N. Y. Lyc. V, May, 1851, 115.Cassin,Ill. I,IV, 1853, 127,pl. xvii.—Baird,Birds N. Am.1858, 201.—Salvadori,Atti. Milan.vii, 1864.—Heerm.X,S, 38.Tyrannula coronata,Swainson,Wagler, Isis, 1831, 529.Pyrocephalus nanus,Woodhouse, Sitgreave’s Report, 1853, 75 (not ofGould).Pyrocephalus mexicanus,Sclater,P. Z. S.1859, 45, 56, 366; 1864, 176.—Ib.Ibis, 1859, 442.—Ib.Catal.227.—Sclater & Salvin, Ibis, 1860, 399 (Guatemala).—Cabanis,Mus. Hein. ii, 1859, 68.—Cooper,Orn. Cal.1, 1870, 333.
Sp. Char.Head with a full rounded or globular crest. Tail even. Crown and whole under parts bright carmine-red; rest of upper parts, including the cheeks as far as the bill, and the lining of the wing, dull grayish-brown; the upper tail-coverts darker; the tail almost black; greater and middle wing-coverts and edges of secondaries and tertialsdull white towards the edges.Femalesimilar, without the crest; the crown brown, like the back; the under parts whitish anteriorly, streaked with brown; behind white, tinged with red or ochraceous. Length of male about 5.50; wing, 3.25; tail, 2.75.Youngresembling the female, but lacking any trace of red, and with each feather of the upper parts bordered with whitish, producing a very variegated appearance.
Hab.Valleys of Rio Grande and Gila southward. Localities: Honduras (Moore,P. Z. S.1859, 55); Cordova (Scl.1856, 296); Vera Cruz, hot to alpine regions (Sum.M. B. S. I, 557); Yucatan (Lawr.IX, 201); Arizona (Coues,P. A. N. S.1866, 64).
Illustration: Pyrocephalus rubineusPyrocephalus rubineus.
Pyrocephalus rubineus.
Every stage between the youngest plumage described and the adult male may be found in a large series of immature specimens: the shade of the red in both sexes frequently varies, it being sometimes of a slightly rosaceous tint, and again decidedly inclining to orange; its amount in the female varies almost with the individual. The two South American races (var.nanusandvar.rubineus; see synopsis) differ in having the brown of upper parts, etc., very decidedly darker; no appreciable light edgings to wing-feathers, and sometimes an appreciably more intense red. One of them (nanus) has a distinct white outer edge to lateral tail-feather, and slight whitish tips to the other; the other has no more than a trace of these markings.
Habits.This brilliant species is a rare summer visitant to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and probably Southern California. It is found throughout Middle America. It has only within a few years been known as a resident within our territory, but was first observed in Texas by Captain McCown, of the United States Army, in 1850, and its claim to a place in our fauna publicly made by Mr. G. N. Lawrence. Captain McCown, in some notes on the habits of certain Texan birds, published in the Annals of theN. Y.Lyceum, speaks of this Flycatcher as being seldom seen, and of his having noticed not more than a dozen in Western Texas. He always found them near ponds of water, in the vicinity of the Rio Grande, generally on a tree or a stake near the water. He only met with one nest, and this was inaccessible. It was built on an acacia over the water.
Lieutenant Couch, in a letter to Mr. Cassin, states that he first met with this bird at Charco Escondido, in Tamaulipas, on the 10th of March. The males had come in advance of the females, as the latter were not observed until several weeks afterwards. Early in the morning, and again about sunset, one of these birds came to the artificial lake constructed there for the supply of water to the inhabitants. It appeared to be of a very quiet and inoffensive disposition, usually sitting on the upper branches of the trees, occasionally uttering a low chirp. He subsequently met with these birds in NuevaLeon. In their habits they appeared to be in some respects similar to the smaller northern Flycatchers.
Dr. Henry also met with these birds in the vicinity of Fort Webster, in New Mexico; he found them exceedingly rare, and his observations were confirmatory of their partiality for the neighborhood of water. His first specimen was obtained on the Rio Mimbres, near Fort Webster, in the month of March.
Dr. Woodhouse met with an individual of this Flycatcher near the settlement of Quihi, in Texas, in the month of May. It was breeding in a thicket. He did not hear it utter any note.
According to the observations of Mr. Sumichrast, this bird is very abundant throughout the entire Department of Vera Cruz, common everywhere, at all heights, in the hot, the temperate, and the alpine regions. Mr. Dresser obtained a fine male specimen from the San Pedro River, near San Antonio, in August. Another, a young male, was obtained September 25. It was very shy, and made its way through the low bushes like the Hedge Sparrow of Europe. A third was obtained April 5, after much difficulty. It was not so shy as the others, but kept more in the open country, always perching on some elevated place. Its note resembled that of theMilvulus forficatus.
This bird, according to Dr. Coues, is not found as far to the north as Fort Whipple, among the mountains, though it extends up the valley of the Colorado to an equally high latitude. It is also said to be common in the valley of the Gila and in Southern Arizona generally.
Mr. E. C. Taylor (Ibis,VI,p.86) mentions finding this Flycatcher tolerably abundant both at Ciudad Bolivar and at Barcelona, but he did not meet with a specimen on the island of Trinidad. He notes its great resemblance in habits to theMuscicapæof Europe.
Dr. Kennerly reports that these birds were often observed by him at various points on the road, from Boca Grande to Los Nogales. It generally selected its perch on the topmost branch of some bush or tree, awaiting the approach of its insect food, and then sallying out to capture it. Sometimes it poised itself in a graceful manner in the air, while its bright plumage glistened in the sun like some brightly colored flower.
Dr. Heermann procured a specimen of this Flycatcher at Fort Yuma, where he was informed that it was quite common in spring. He saw other individuals of this species at Tucson in Sonora. These birds, he states, station themselves upon the topmost branches of trees, and when pursued appear quite wild, flying to a considerable distance before again alighting.
Dr. Cooper saw at Fort Mohave, May 24, a bird which he had no doubt was an individual of this species, but he was not able to procure it. It perched upon the tops of bushes, and would not suffer him to approach within shooting distance. One has since been taken by Mr. W. W. Holden in Colorado Valley,lat.34°, April 18.
Mr. Joseph Leyland found this species common on the flats near Peten, in Guatemala, as also on the pine ridges of Belize. They have, he states, a singular habit of spinning round and round on the wing, and then dropping suddenly with wings loose and fluttering as though shot,—apparently done for amusement. They lay three or four light-colored eggs in a small nest composed of light grass and lined with cottony materials. Mr. Xantus found the nest and eggs of this species at San José, Mexico, May 16, 1861.