Ptiliogonatidae Silky-flycatchers
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
The silky flycatchers are a small group of sleek, elegant birds found only in Central America and the southwestern United States. Despite their name, most eat more fruit than insects, concentrating on insect foraging primarily when they are feeding young chicks. Their plumages are indeed silky, and these birds have some of the most understated elegance in texture, shade, and form of any birds. Their classy looks are not matched by their vocalizations; some of them mimic other species, but none engage in long or complicated songs. At least one species appears to move hundreds of kilometers between breeding attempts, indicating an awareness of environmental conditions across an unusually broad spatial scale.
Habitat
Most silky flycatcher species live in montane woodlands, but the Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens lives in desert, arid scrub, and riparian habitats.
Diet and Foraging
Silky flycatchers feed primarily on fruits and insects. Some species, like the Black-and-yellow Silky Flycatcher Phainoptila melanoxantha, feed almost exclusively on fruit. Others, like the Phainopepla, feed on fruits only during colder months when insects are less abundant. Flying insects, caught on the wing with a sally from a perch, constitute the majority of the insect diet of silky flycatchers. A specialist on mistletoe berries in the non-breeding season, the Phainopepla possesses a digestive tract that is highly modified to process large quantities of this low-nutrient, viscous food.
Breeding
Ptiliogonatids are monogamous with biparental care. The Phainopepla is unusual in that breeding occurs twice a year in two different sites, with the earlier breeding attempt occurring in the early spring in the inland desert, and the later one in the summer in woodlands nearer the coast. It is not known whether the same individuals breed in both habitats, but the presence of two distinct breeding periods in two distinct habitats is notable and fascinating. The nests of silky flycatchers are usually bulky cups constructed from twigs and plant fibers. The nests of the tropical species are often covered in lichens and mosses. Clutch size for the ptiliogonatids is generally 2 eggs, with Phainopeplas laying up to 4. Parental roles are known only for two species. In the Phainopepla, both sexes help nearly equally with incubation, which takes about 14 days, and in the Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher Ptilogonys caudatus, the female alone incubates the eggs, for a period of 16 to 17 days. Both parents feed the young in these two species, and young Phainopeplas are in the nest for about 20 days, whereas nestlings of P. caudatus stay in the nest for 24 to 25 days before fledging.
Conservation Status
None of the ptiliogonatids currently are at risk.
Systematics History
Ptiliogonatidae is part of the bombycilloid radiation of oscine passerines (Cibois & Cracraft 2004, Voelker & Spellman 2004, Reddy & Cracraft 2007, Alström et al. 2014). Within this radiation, Ptiliogonatidae is likely sister to Bombycillidae (Fleischer et al. 2008, Spellman et al. 2008), though this relationship may have been eclipsed by a closer relationship with the recently extinct Mohoidae of Hawaii (Fleischer et al. 2008).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
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Near Threatened |
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Vulnerable |
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Endangered |
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Critically Endangered |
0%
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Extinct in the Wild |
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Extinct |
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Not Evaluated |
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Data Deficient |
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Unknown |
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Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information