Slender-footed Tyrannulet Zimmerius gracilipes Scientific name definitions

The Slender-footed Tyrannulet is a wide-ranging  flycatcher of northern South America.  Found in the Guianas and Amazonia, the species prefers upper levels of humid forest below 500 meters in elevation.  It is olive above with blackish wings edged in yellow, gray cap, black ocular stripe, white supercilium, whitish irides, white throat, and yellow underparts.  Slender-footed Tyrannulet is the only Zimmerius tyrannulet in most of its range, though Red-billed Tyrannulet and Golden-faced Tyrannulet are both rather similar in appearance.

9–11·5 cm; 6·6–9·5 g. Nominate race has narrow whitish supraloral stripe and short supercilium , dark eyestripe, grey forehead and crown, dull olive upperparts ; wings dusky, wing-coverts and proximal parts of flight feathers narrowly edged yellow (“wedge” of dark remiges separating inner secondaries and primaries); tail dusky olive; throat and lower face yellowish white, grading to dull olive-yellow on breast and yellow on belly; iris greyish; bill small and rounded, black; legs dark greyish. Sexes alike, female slightly smaller than male. Juvenile undescribed. Race gilvus has brighter yellow underparts.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Insects; also small fruits, especially of mistletoe (Loranthaceae). Forages extremely high in forest canopy, thus difficult to observe; sometimes joins mixed-species flocks; usually alone or in pairs. Moves about actively, obtaining food items by perch-gleaning and sally-gleaning.

Most often heard is a single soft “chwit” or “what?”, repeated slowly, given from high in canopy, sometimes throughout day, this varies somewhat, e.g. N of Amazon it is a mellow rising whistle, “wheet”, while S of Amazon it is a shorter rising “whit”; also an ascending series of 4–5 short, slurred notes, “chu, chu-chu-ree” with abrupt rise at end; dawn song (race gilvus in Peru) an accelerating, monotone series of “chew-chu-chi’chi” notes, whereas in E Ecuador (nominate) it is a somewhat becard-like, querulous “peeu, tri-ri-ri”.

Birds in breeding condition in Jun in S Colombia and Aug–Dec in SE Peru; nest 12 m above ground with two quite large nestlings in Rondônia, SW Brazil, in early Mar; nest 35 m above ground in Ceiba tree in E Ecuador. A pale pinkish egg with reddish-brown and grey markings from Brazil, size 20 mm × 13 mm, belongs either to this species or Z. acer. No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon to common; often overlooked, encountered mainly by voice. Occurs in many national parks and other protected areas throughout its reasonably large range, including Alto Orinoco-Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve, in S Venezuela; Tinigua National Park, in E Colombia; La Selva and Sacha Lodges, in E Ecuador (where species appears to be unusually localized); Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve, Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve, and Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, in E Peru; Madidi and Noel Kempff Mercado National Parks and Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve, in N Bolivia; and many protected areas in Brazil. Much of this species’ habitat remains in relatively pristine condition.