Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer Scientific name definitions

The plaintive, whistled call of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher is a common sound in oak and pine woodland in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico as pairs maintain contact within dense foliage. This call is heard throughout this taxon's extensive range, from southwestern United States to northwestern Argentina.

The Dusky-capped Flycatcher is a diverse taxon with 13 subspecies. It is unique within the genus Myiarchus for the variation among subspecies in crown coloration and for habitat preference, with nearly complete reproductive isolation between subspecies at some points in South America (Lanyon 1978 Lanyon, W. E. (1978). Revision of the Myiarchus flycatchers of South America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161:427-628. Close ). In other places, defining subspecies boundaries is difficult, and intergrades are common. The factor uniting these diverse subspecies is the similarity (to the human ear) of their vocalizations. Voice appears to be the criterion used by the members of the genus Myiarchus to distinguish themselves; plumage differences among the (at least) 22 species are slight (Lanyon 1963a Lanyon, W. E. (1963a). Experiments on species discrimination in Myiarchus flycatchers. American Museum Novitates 2126. Close ).

Formerly known in the United States as Olivaceous Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher was described in 1837 by 2 French explorer-naturalists, Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny (1802–1854) and Andre de Lafresnaye (1783–1861), from a specimen taken in Bolivia probably by d'Orbigny (Rounds 1990 Rounds, R. S. (1990). Men and birds in South America, 1492-1900. Fort Bragg, CA: Q. E. D. Press. Close , Am. Ornithol. Union American Ornithologists' Union 1998a American Ornithologists' Union (1998). Check-list of North American Birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC, USA. Close ).

Over the years, other taxa, including M. olivascens, M. lawrenceii, M. platyrhynchus, M. nigricapillus, M. brunneiceps, M. nigriceps, and M. atriceps, have been merged into this taxon, based primarily on vocal similarities and contrast in coloration between crown and back.

As with other members of its genus, the Dusky-capped Flycatcher is not a social bird and may maintain territories year-round. It is a secretive cavity-nester; few nests have been found. Some egg collectors took advantage of the ready adaptation of M. t. olivascens to nest boxes (Brandt 1951 Brandt, H. (1951). Arizona and its Bird Life: A Naturalist's Adventures with the Nesting Birds on the Deserts, Grasslands, Foothills, and Mountains of Southeastern Arizona. The Bird Research Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA. Close ). Few researchers have exploited this behavior.

Much of our very limited knowledge of Dusky-capped Flycatcher comes from the work of W. E. Lanyon (Lanyon 1963a Lanyon, W. E. (1963a). Experiments on species discrimination in Myiarchus flycatchers. American Museum Novitates 2126. Close , Lanyon 1978 Lanyon, W. E. (1978). Revision of the Myiarchus flycatchers of South America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161:427-628. Close , Lanyon 1985 Lanyon, W. E. (1985). "A phylogeny of the myiarchine flycatchers." In Neotropical ornithology., edited by P. A. Buckley, M. S. Foster, E. S. Morton, R. S. Ridgely and F. G. Buckley, 361-380. Ornithol. Monogr. no. 36. Close , Lanyon 1997 Lanyon, W. E. 1997. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus). In The Birds of North America, No. 300 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington D.C. Close ), who studied vocalizations and defined subspecies limits, and A. F. Skutch (Skutch 1960b Skutch, A. F. (1960b) Life histories of Central American birds. II. Pacific Coast Avifauna 34. Close , Skutch 1977 Skutch, A. F. (1977). A bird watcher's adventures in tropical America. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press. Close , Skutch 1981 Skutch, A. F. (1981) New studies of tropical American birds. Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club 19. Close , Skutch 1987 Skutch, A. F. (1987). A naturalist amid tropical splendor. Iowa City: Univ. of Iowa Press. Close Skutch 1997 Skutch, A. F. (1997). Life of the flycatcher. Norman: Univ. of Oklahoma Press. Close ), who recorded most of what is known of its life history.