Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Camptostoma imberbeOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

General

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: Small flycatcher with gray upperparts and breast, slight crest, pale eyebrow, indistinct eye-ring, and dull white or pale yellow belly. Wings are gray with two pale bars. Bill is small, slightly decurved, and dark with an orange base. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: Breeds in southeastern Arizona and southernmost Texas. Most migrate to Mexico for the winter; also found in the tropics. Inhabits low thorn scrub, especially mesquite thickets and woodland borders.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"peeert" or "pee-yert"

Interesting Facts

The Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet is the only United States representative of the Elaeniinae, a large subfamily of mostly South American tyrannid flycatchers.

Less than 5% of the population occurs in the United States.

It was once considered conspecific with the Southern Beardless Tyrannulet.

A group of beardless tyrannulets are collectively known as a "shaving" of tyrannulets.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Range Map for Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: Small flycatcher with gray upperparts and breast, slight crest, pale eyebrow, indistinct eye-ring, and dull white or pale yellow belly. Wings are gray with two pale bars. The bill is small, slightly decurved, and dark with an orange base. Weak direct flight.

● Song: "peeert" or "pee-yert"

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: In summer, hawks insects in mid-air; in winter, forages for insects by gleaning from twigs and leaves like a kinglet, warbler, or vireo. Also feeds on small berries.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: One to three white eggs finely marked with brown, olive, and gray are laid in a spherical nest with a high entrance on one side, made of grass and weeds, and lined with vegetation, down, and feathers. Nest is built on an outer branch of a deciduous tree 4 to 50 feet above the ground. Incubation period is unknown but is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: Buff-breasted Flycatcher is slightly larger, has pale brown upperparts and head, cinnamon-brown breast, belly, and underparts, two white wingbars, and white eye-ring that forms a teardrop.

Flight Pattern

Weak direct flight on rapidly beating wings.

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Worn Adult Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: Breeds in southeastern Arizona and southernmost Texas. Most migrate to Mexico for the winter; also found in the tropics. Inhabits low thorn scrub, especially mesquite thickets and woodland borders.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America