Peruvian Tyrannulet (Zimmerius viridiflavus)

Identification & Behavior: ~11 cm (4.3 in). The Peruvian Tyrannulet has a gray-olive mantle and dusky crown. The iris is dark. The bill is black. It has a yellow face and broad yellow lores. The underparts are largely yellowish. The wing coverts and flight feathers are dusky edged with yellow creating a patterned folded wing. It forages in the canopy and sub-canopy of humid montane forests. It is very similar to the Golden-faced Tyrannulet and other than the yellowish belly they are difficult to differentiate in the field. This problem is exacerbated by Golden-face Tyrannulet-plumaged birds singing like a Peruvian Tyrannulet in northern Peru, south of the Marañon River.

Status: Endemic. The Peruvian Tyrannulet is fairly common in the humid montane forest on the northern and central east slope of the Andes of Peru.

Name in Spanish: Moscareta Peruana.

Sub-species: Peruvian Tyrannulet (Zimmerius viridiflavus flavidifrons), (Tschudi), 1844. SW Ecuador (SE Guayas S to W Loja and NW Peru).

Meaning of Name: Zimmerius: In honor of Dr. John Todd Zimmer (1889-1957) US ornithologist, taxonomist. viridiflavus: L. viridis= green and flavus= yellow.

See more of the Family Tyrannidae