Cliff Flycatcher Hirundinea ferruginea Scientific name definitions

Taxonomic note: Lump. This account is a combination of multiple species accounts originally published in HBW Alive. That content has been combined and labeled here at the subspecies level. Moving forward we will create a more unified account for this parent taxon. Please consider contributing your expertise to update this account.

The Cliff Flycatcher is a slender tyrannid of forest edge and rocky outcroppings Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela south along the Andes to northwestern Argentina, and also is found from northeastern Brazil south to northeastern Argentina.  The Cliff Flycatcher has blackish-brown upperparts, mottled white cheeks and supericilia, and a cinnamon throat and underparts.  Reminiscent of a swallow in both its shape and manner of flight, the Cliff Flycatcher catches insects by making long powerful aerial sallies from a perch on a rocky outcropping, cliff face or overhanging branch.  The Cliff Flycatcher is well adapted to human altered environments, and in São Paulo these birds nest on apartment blocks and high-rise buildings.  Southern breeders migrate north during the austral winter.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

15·5–18·5 cm; 28·8–40 g. Long, slender tyrannid reminiscent of a swallow (Hirundinidae), with short rictal bristles, long pointed bill broad at base, short legs; triangular wings in flight. Nominate race has crown and upperparts blackish-brown, cheek mottled white, whitish short supercilium, dark loral stripe; wings blackish when folded (sometimes showing rufous inner webs as panel in secondaries or inner primaries), in flight primaries and secondaries with broad rufous band bordered by blackish feather tips; tail blackish above, inner webs rufous (except on central rectrices), cinnamon-rufous only at base below; chin mottled grey, throat and underparts , including underwing-coverts, uniform cinnamon-rufous; iris dark; bill blackish; legs black. Sexes similar. Juvenile apparently undescribed. Race <em>sclateri</em> is much like nominate, but displays more extensive white mottling on head, especially forehead and crown, paler chin, and more extensive rufous on inner webs of underside of rectrices.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

15·5–18·5 cm; 21·2–42 g (once 14 g). Long, slender tyrannid reminiscent of a swallow (Hirundinidae), with short rictal bristles, long pointed bill broad at base, short legs; triangular wings in flight. Sexes similar. Compared to formerly conspecific H. ferruginea has upperparts more rufous-brown above (rather than dark chocolate-brown), lacks whitish grizzling on face and crown, and has mostly cinnamon-rufous and base of tail. Nominate <em> bellicosa</em> has cheeks and chin brown with dusky mottling, conspicuous orange-brown rump and basal half of uppertail, conspicuous rufous edging and panel on closed wing , margins of wing-coverts and tertials buff to pale brown; <em>pallidior</em> resembles nominate, but has rufous margins in wing slightly wider, and rufous extends less far down tail (creating broader dark subterminal band). Bare parts: legs and bill black, eyes white or brown.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

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.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Cerros, cliffs, rocky outcrops, canyon walls, landslides and steep banks bordered by mature and secondary forest, as well as similar, man-made habitats such as roadcuts, bridges and quarries. Lowland populations occur from sea-level to 2000 m; Andean populations mainly at 900–2200 m, but locally as high as 2700 m in Peru and 2500 m in Venezuela, and once at 400 m in Peru.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

In Bolivia and NW Argentina found on sparsely wooded slopes with steep banks, cliffs and bridges at edges of forest with undergrowth; also found in rocky environments, including karstic country, quarries and rocky escarpments, in S & SE Brazil, but also found around office buildings, churches, tower blocks in large cities and towns (perching on window ledges and aerials), and can appear in all manner of open country with suitable perches, far from rocky environments (presumably migrants). Recorded to 3900 m in Bolivia and 3500 m in NW Argentina, but usually much lower (and down to sea-level in SE Brazil).

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Resident.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

Mainly resident. S breeders migrate during austral winter, sometimes far from typical habitat, for example, in Rio Grande do Sul, extreme S Brazil, species is recorded mainly between mid Sept and late Apr, and more northerly breeders may also be prone to wander in non-breeding season. Nominate bellicosa is vagrant to Temuco, Chile (Feb 1992).

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Insects. Often forages in pairs or family groups. Unique in family, captures prey by hawking in spectacular, powerful, long aerial sallies; usually returns to same perch ; swoops and glides in flight much like a swallow. Usually perches horizontally, searching for prey from exposed perch on rocky outcrop, cliff face, overhanging branch or twig, small bush or tree growing out of cliff face, or large canopy tree bordering cliff.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

Insects, including hymenopterans and coleopterans recorded in stomach contents, and horse-flies (Diptera) reported through direct observation. Often forages in pairs or family groups. Unique in family, captures prey by hawking in spectacular, powerful, long aerial sallies; usually returns to same perch ; swoops and glides in flight much like a swallow. Usually perches horizontally, searching for prey from exposed perch on rocky outcrop, cliff face, overhanging branch or twig, or from wires and buildings in urban areas.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Some calls resemble those of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and Bat Falcon (F. rufigularis). Frequently gives high-pitched calls or single or repeated notes described as “wheeeyp”, “killy killy”, “kaleé kale” or loud, laughing “wha-deép wha-deép”; dawn song (nominate) a repeated rapid high “kit-ti-léé”. Most frequently heard call of race sclateri is a high-frequency, rather weak “pi-weet” or shorter “weet”, whilst other recorded calls involve a “weeet wi-wi-wi” that is sometimes extended to “weeet wi-wi-wi-wi-wi”. Song of sclateri described as a rising phrase followed by a descending chatter.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

Song (and calls) of this species are generally very similar to those of H. ferruginea, but compared to latter song is lower-pitched, with a smaller frequency range, reaches a faster pace and has a longer initial note. Also mentioned (nominate bellicosa) is a weak, short, high-pitched “eeeeeeeee” that becomes a brief rapid trill in terminating, all on same pitch but ending gutturally.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Almost nothing known, but in S Venezuela mentioned to build grass or moss cup-shaped nest in crevice or ledge on cliff or roadcut, especially on quartzite cerros and mesas; active nest, 10–12 m above ground, in E Colombia in late Jan.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

Nests found in Nov and Dec  in Argentina and S Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo  ), and nest with young in Pará, E Amazonian Brazil, in Aug; juvenile reported in Dec in Bolivia (Cochabamba). Nest an open cup usually made mainly of grass and damp moss, tiny stones also frequently used and some nests appear to consist largely of dry or dead vegetation; one with internal diameter 7 cm, external diameter 9 cm, depth 2 cm; placed in crevice or on ledge of cliff or roadcut; also in buildings and artificial structures, e.g. under roofs of buildings or on window ledges . Clutch two or three pinkish-white eggs with brown markings concentrated at large end, size 19–21 mm × 15–16 mm; no information on incubation and fledging periods; distraction display by adults when nest threatened.

Cliff Flycatcher (Cliff)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Fairly common but local, especially so in Venezuela. However, is probably increasing and spreading into artificially created habitats associated with newly constructed roads; only recently recorded for first time in Santa Marta Mts, in N Colombia. Occurs in Alto Orinoco-Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve and Canaima National Park, in Venezuela, Serranía de los Yariguíes National Park, Colombia, and Cerros de Amotape National Park and Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, in Peru, among many other protected areas throughout species’ range.

Cliff Flycatcher (Swallow)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Fairly common, especially in SE Brazil. Probably increasing and spreading as a result of deforestation. Among many others, occurs in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, in Bolivia, Caracol and Intervales State Parks, and Aparados da Serra, Itatiaia, Serra da Canastra, and Tijuca National Parks, all in Brazil, and Cerro Corá National Park, in Uruguay. Status in Rondônia, SW Brazil, where only recently recorded for first time (in Nov 2011) unclear (the date would be unusually late for an austral migrant and involved multiple individuals).