Chapada Flycatcher Guyramemua affine Scientific name definitions

A medium-sized flycatcher with a grayish head, olive-green back and light yellow belly, the Chapada Flycatcher is found in cerrado habitats with shrubby areas, grasslands and scattered trees. The Chapada Flycatcher forages mainly on insects, but will also eat fruits in the middle to upper branches of trees. During the breeding season, there is a ritualized display from male Chapada Flycatchers, which can include sex-specific duetting. Uncommon to rare throughout its range, this species is threatened by habitat conversion, including agricultural conversion and urbanization. Due to these factors and a declining overall population size, the Chapada Flycatcher has been listed as near threatened on IUCN’s Watchlist.

16 cm; 21–23 g. Crown and back are medium grey, lightly washed olive; small supraloral spot and supercilium white; wings and tail darker, distinct greyish-white wingbars and edges of secondaries, tail proportionally short and broad, feathers with pale outer webs and conspicuous whitish tips; chin, throat and breast whitish, belly and undertail-coverts pure yellow; iris brown; bill black; legs medium grey. Distinguished from similar S. suiriri by yellow belly and broader whitish tip to tail, from race burmeisteri of that species by shorter and broader bill almost entirely black, darker dorsal surface of tail, white of throat extending up to gape, from race bahiae also by darker and less green back, less white breast, paler rump and uppertail-coverts. Sexes alike. Juvenile undescribed.

C & SW Brazil (Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul) and extreme E Bolivia (E Santa Cruz).

Small arthropods, also fruits. Forages in middle and upper branches of trees, rarely descends to shrubs or the ground. Perch-gleans prey from leaf and branch surfaces, and sallies to vegetation to hover-glean arthropods or fruit; makes occasional short aerial sallies for flying insects. More active than S. suiriri.

Paired male and female give different songs in simultaneous duets, male a loud series of paired couplets, a repeated twangy “where where, whooz it”, female a loud bubbly rattle of variable length and typically preceded by one or two “whur” notes. Contact call of female of 2–3 syllables, “zhuwheep” or “zhuwheep-oo”.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Rare to locally fairly common. In Mato Grosso, fairly common in shrubby areas with much grass and scattered trees, e.g. along first few km of the Agua Fria road (near Chapada dos Guimarães), and less common in more wooded cerrado, e.g. along the Coxipo do Ouro road (near Cuiabá). Average of 1–2 pairs/km in limited roadside surveys. Occurs in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, in Bolivia, and Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, in Brazil, both of which contain extensive areas of suitable cerrado habitat; in Brazil, may also be present in Serra das Araras Ecological Station (W Mato Grosso). Greatest threats to cerrado habitats are posed by habitat conversion for eucalypt (Eucalyptus) and pine (Pinus) plantations, livestock farming, and large-scale cultivation of soybeans, rice and other exportable crops; outside protected areas few undisturbed tracts remain, and these may soon be degraded by spreading fires and overgrazing or completely disappear due to agricultural conversion. Repeated annual burning during dry season, if it stunts shrub recovery, is also a threat. In addition, some areas of suitable habitat are at risk from urbanization, e.g. at the type locality.