Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus Scientific name definitions

Among the most spectacular of North American flycatchers, both in coloration and in courtship display, the Vermilion Flycatcher is a common breeder in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas (Figure 1). Males and females differ markedly in color; the male's vermilion crest and brilliant underparts contrast sharply with the whitish, lightly streaked breast and pinkish belly colors of the female. This flycatcher's global range extends nearly 7.1 million km² -- from the southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and south into Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru. North American breeders winter from southernmost portions of the U.S. breeding range south through Mexico and Central America. There is only one other species in the genus Pyrocephalus, the Brujo Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus nanus) of the Galápagos Islands, which was considered conspecific with the Vermilion Flycatcher until 2021 (1 Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer (2021). A classification of the bird species of South America. Version 15. American Ornithological Society. Close ).

A sit-and-wait predator, the Vermilion Flycatcher forages from an exposed perch and takes a variety of aerial and terrestrial arthropods including butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, termites, and spiders. In Arizona, it breeds in desert riparian areas where mesquites, willows, and cottonwoods line dry washes or perennial streams. In Texas and New Mexico, the species occupies similar habitats, but also open parklands with widely spaced oaks and junipers. Dependence on desert riparian communities in the arid southwest makes this flycatcher particularly vulnerable to degradation of these habitats by wood-cutting, channelization, cattle grazing, and groundwater pumping.

During the breeding season, male Vermilion Flycatchers perform a spectacular flight song 20–30 m above the canopy, appearing to bounce across the sky on fluttering wings while singing. Nests are loosely constructed and typically placed in the horizontal fork of a mesquite or cottonwood tree. Females incubate their clutch of 2–4 eggs for about 14 days; during incubation males regularly feed females at the nest. Pairs raise 1-2 broods/season and pairs generally renest immediately after fledging their first brood.

Despite the Vermilion Flycatcher's conspicuousness, facets of its biology remain poorly known. Key studies of this species include 2 Carothers, S. W. (1974). Breeding ecology and time-energy budget of male Vermilion Flycatchers and comments on the social organization of southwestern riparian birds. Phd Thesis, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago. Close , which focused on foraging ecology, daily time budget, and behavioral ecology of males in mesquite and cottonwood habitats, with less attention to breeding. Earlier work by Taylor and Hanson (3 Taylor, W. K. and H. Hanson. (1970). Observations on the breeding biology of the Vermilion Flycatcher in Arizona. Condor 82:315-319. Close ) provided additional information on reproductive biology and behavior. Displays and vocalizations of males were studied by Smith (4 Smith, W. J. (1966e). The flight song display of two taxa of Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus. Condor 68:306-307. Close , 5 Smith, W. J. (1967f). Displays of the Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus). Condor 69:601-605. Close , 6 Smith, W. J. (1970e). Courtship and territorial displaying in the Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus. Condor 72:488-491. Close ) and, more recently in central Mexico, by Ríos-Chelén and García (7 Ríos-Chelén, A. A. and C. Macias-García. (2004). Flight display song of the Vermilion Flycatcher. Wilson Bulletin 116 (4):360-362. Close ) (8 Ríos-Chelén, A. A. and C. M. Garcia. (2007). Responses of a sub-oscine bird during playback: Effects of different song variants and breeding period. Behavioural Processes 74 (3):319-325. Close .) (9 Ríos-Chelén, A. A., J. A. Graves, R. Torres, M. Serrano-Pinto, L. D'Alba and C. M. Garcia. (2008). Intra-specific brood parasitism revealed by DNA micro-satellite analyses in a sub-oscine bird, the Vermilion Flycatcher. Revista Chilena De Historia Natural 81 (1):21-31. Close ).