''Myiarchus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

tyrant flycatcher The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds known to exist in the world, with more than 400 species. They are the most diver ...

s. Most species are fairly similar looking and are easier to separate by voice than

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

. ''Myiarchus'' flycatchers are fairly large tyrant-flycatchers at 16–23 cm (6.3–9 in) long. They are all partially crested with a brown to gray back and head, a rufous to blackish tail and yellow to pale underparts (only exception is the rufous flycatcher with

rufous Rufous () is a color that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish- red, as of rust or oxidised iron. The first recorded use of ''rufous'' as a color name in English was in 1782. However, the color is also recorded earlier in 1527 as a di ...

underparts). They typically forage by perching on an open branch and looking outward and downward for prey, which primarily consists of insects. Once it spots a potential meal, the flycatcher rapidly and directly flies at the insect, which is normally on the exposed upper surface of a leaf or twig. It hovers briefly before the insect before grabbing it in its beak and flying away to typically a new perch. The genus contains 22 species: *

Rufous flycatcher The rufous flycatcher (''Myiarchus semirufus'') is a bird species in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It was formerly c ...

, ''Myiarchus semirufus'' *

Yucatan flycatcher The Yucatan flycatcher (''Myiarchus yucatanensis'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and the northern bordering parts of Belize and Guatemala. It is a typical '' Myiarchus'' flyc ...

, ''Myiarchus yucatanensis'' * Sad flycatcher, ''Myiarchus barbirostris'' *

Dusky-capped flycatcher The dusky-capped flycatcher (''Myiarchus tuberculifer'') is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in forest and other woodland from southern Arizona, as well as the Chisos Mountains, Texas, south to northern Argentina and on ...

, ''Myiarchus tuberculifer'' *

Swainson's flycatcher Swainson's flycatcher (''Myiarchus swainsoni'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Vene ...

, ''Myiarchus swainsoni'' * Venezuelan flycatcher, ''Myiarchus venezuelensis'' *

Panama flycatcher The Panama flycatcher (''Myiarchus panamensis'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist ...

, ''Myiarchus panamensis'' * Short-crested flycatcher, ''Myiarchus ferox'' * Pale-edged flycatcher, ''Myiarchus cephalotes'' * Sooty-crowned flycatcher, ''Myiarchus phaeocephalus'' * Apical flycatcher, ''Myiarchus apicalis'' * Ash-throated flycatcher, ''Myiarchus cinerascens'' *

Nutting's flycatcher Nutting's flycatcher (''Myiarchus nuttingi'') is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in semi-arid desert scrub and tropical deciduous forest from western Mexico to northwest Costa Rica. It is normally a year-round reside ...

, ''Myiarchus nuttingi'' * Great crested flycatcher, ''Myiarchus crinitus'' *

Brown-crested flycatcher The brown-crested flycatcher (''Myiarchus tyrannulus'') is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. Description Adult brown-crested flycatchers are probably the largest species of the '' Myiarchus'' flycatchers but vary considerably in ...

, ''Myiarchus tyrannulus'' * Grenada flycatcher, ''Myiarchus nugator'' * Galapagos flycatcher, ''Myiarchus magnirostris'' * Rufous-tailed flycatcher, ''Myiarchus validus'' * La Sagra's flycatcher, ''Myiarchus sagrae'' * Stolid flycatcher, ''Myiarchus stolidus'' * Lesser Antillean flycatcher, ''Myiarchus oberi'' * Puerto Rican flycatcher, ''Myiarchus antillarum''

References

External links

* * Bird genera {{Tyrannidae-stub