Choco Sirystes Sirystes albogriseus Scientific name definitions

Sirystes are highly distinctive flycatchers of low-to-middle elevation humid forest, and as a group are distributed from Panama south to Argentina and southeastern Brazil. Previously all populations were included in a single species, but song, and, to a lesser extent, the plumage, varies across the Neotropics, and now four species of sirystes are recognized. All sirystes are above with a pale rump; a black crown, wings, and tail; and white edging to the wing coverts and secondaries. The white wing edging is particularly prominent in Choco Sirystes, which occurs from eastern Panama south to northwestern Ecuador. All sirystes have the slender bodied, slightly crested appearance of Myiarchus flycatchers, and also share with Myiarchus the habit of nesting in tree cavities.

17·5–18·5 cm; 32–36 g. Tyrant-flycatcher with general shape and proportions of a Myiarchus, but coloration quite different. Adult has dull black crown, becoming slate-grey on head-sides, pale grey hindneck, back and scapulars, white rump, dark uppertail-coverts fringed greyish white, dusky tail tipped greyish white, dusky black wings with broad white fringes to coverts and secondaries, greyish-white foreneck and upper breast, and rest of underparts white; iris dark brown (occasionally reported as red); bill black sometimes with marginally paler base; legs black or dark grey. Sexes alike, but female is marginally smaller in wing and tail lengths. Juvenile is tinged faintly buffy throughout.

E Panama (E from E Colón and C Panamá Province), NW Colombia (S from Chocó and Córdoba) and NW Ecuador (locally in W Esmeraldas to S Pichincha and N Manabí).

Inhabits humid forest and tall second growth, where usually found in canopy, occasionally descending lower at edges; recorded to 900 m in E Panama, but solely below 500 m in W Colombia and NW Ecuador.

Very few data; stomach contents (Panama) included a caterpillar, beetles, moths, hymenopterans and membracids, as well as seeds. Follows mixed-species foraging flocks, sallying for insects or small fruits.

Brisk series of loud “prip” or “hrip” notes. S. albogriseus has a dramatically different vocal repertoire from all other members of the S. sibilator superspecies, with a different sort of primary vocalization  from all other populations, and no recordings exhibit whistles, chattering songs or downstroke songs. All available recordings involve repeated short notes, which are quickly delivered downstrokes with a small initial upstroke.

Almost nothing known; in breeding condition in W Colombia in Feb; thought to be nestbuilding in Feb/Mar in E Panama, with a male specimen in breeding condition also collected in Feb in C Panama. No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Considered uncommon in E Panama (although it is numerous along Pipeline road in Canal area) and local extinctions have been reported, local in W Colombia with comparatively few modern records (though known from at least two conservation units including Utría National Park), and is uncommon and apparently very local in NW Ecuador (where first recorded as recently as 1970s), but the species is perhaps overlooked to some extent throughout its range. Red-listed in Ecuador.