Amazonian Royal Flycatcher

The Amazonian royal flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird native to the Amazon basin in South America. It inhabits humid lowland forests near streams, where it lives quietly and primarily unnoticed. During courtship, however, it flashes its large, colorful fan-like crest in hopes of attracting a mate.

5 Amazing Amazonian Royal Flycatcher Facts

• Amazonian flycatchers are best known for their bright, royal-looking crests, primarily used during mating season.
• They hang their nests from vines over water, making it difficult for predators to steal their eggs and young.
• They communicate with each other by using slow, plaintive whistles.
• These flycatchers eat flying insects like cicadas and moths.
• Some research suggests their crests may startle or momentarily deter predators, although further study is needed.

Where to Find the Amazonian Royal Flycatcher

The Amazonian royal flycatcher lives in at least nine countries in South America, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. They inhabit the Amazon basin in humid lowland evergreen and second-growth forests. During the breeding season, they stay in moist forests near a water source. Look for these birds in the mid-canopies along streams and seasonally flooded forests. They can be hard to spot because they don’t show their crests too often and are relatively quiet, preferring to live inconspicuously.  You will most often find them alone, perched silently in trees, where they attentively search for food.

Nests

Females are most likely to build the nest themselves in a moist forest area near the water. It is long and narrow, hanging from branches or vines over water. This location makes it difficult for predators to reach. 

Classification and Scientific Name

The Amazonian royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus) belongs to the Tityridae family, which encompasses passerine birds found in forest and woodland habitats in the Neotropics. Their genus, Onychorhynchus, comprises the royal flycatchers. The Amazonian flycatcher has two subspecies, O. c. coronatus and O. c. castelnaui.

Size, Appearance, & Behavior

The Amazonian royal flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird, measuring 5.9 inches long and weighing 0.34 to 0.49 ounces, with an unknown wingspan. It has a long, broad bill, a skinny neck, long wings, and tails. Adults are a dull brown on their upper parts with reddish-brown tails and a dark buffy yellow belly with a white throat. Their most notable feature is their fan-shaped crest, which folds down when unused. The male has a blue, black, and red-colored crest, while the females have black, blue, and yellow-orange. You can see these birds alone or in pairs, and they communicate with slow, plaintive whistles. But they are relatively quiet and inconspicuous most of the time. These birds prefer to stay solitary, feeding under the forest understory alone.

Migration Pattern and Timing

Amazonian flycatchers are nonmigratory, meaning they live in their South American environments year-round.

Diet

Amazonian royal flycatchers are insectivores.

What Does the Amazonian Flycatcher Eat?

They mainly eat flying insects, such as flies, cicadas, dragonflies, and moths. These flycatchers forage for their food near water, catching insects mid-air or picking them off leaves. You can also find them in the understory of forests, searching for ticks, small cicadas, leafhoppers, and butterflies. They spend much of their time perched, searching for food, instead of sallying out to catch insects.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status

The IUCN lists the Amazonian royal flycatcher as LC or “least concern.” Due to its extensive range and significant population size, this species does not meet the “threatened” status threshold. The biggest threat to this bird is habitat loss from deforestation of their wetland and forest homes.

What Eats the Amazonian Royal Flycatcher?

Adult Amazonian flycatchers can become prey to large carnivorous birds like eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls. Their nest can also fall victim to snakes and bigger birds. Their colorful crest is primarily used for courtship. Research suggests it may also startle or momentarily deter avian and mammalian predators. 

Reproduction, Young, and Molting

We don’t know when their breeding season begins, but they typically inhabit moist riparian forests (near water) during breeding and nesting. Their courtship consists of males displaying their beautifully colored crests, which they rarely show unless finding a mate. The female lays two eggs, and the male defends the territory while she incubates. There is not enough research on how long incubation takes or when the young fledge the nest. These birds live up to six years on average.

Population

The global population for Amazonian royal flycatchers is between 500,000 and 5 million mature individuals. However, this species is decreasing in its numbers due to ongoing habitat loss. They are not experiencing any extreme fluctuations or fragmentations.