Taxonomy and systematics
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant was originally described in 1953 as ''Idioptilon mirandae kaempferi'', a subspecies of the buff-breasted tody-tyrant (now ''Hemitriccus mirandae''). Following a study published in 1976 it was elevated to species rank. At about that same time genus ''Idioptilon'' was merged into ''Hemitriccus''. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 18 November 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved November 26, 2024 Kaempfer's tody-tyrant isHistory
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant was long known only from two specimens, theDescription
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is about long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a buffy olive crown and buffy face, sometimes with some rufous. Their back and rump are dark olive. Their wings are dark olive with wide pale yellow or greenish yellow outer webs on the innermost secondaries. Their wing coverts have buffish yellow-olive tips that show as two wing bars. Their tail is dusky olive with pale tips on the outer feathers. Their throat is yellow to buff and their breast is dull ochraceous buff with a greenish olive wash. Their belly is pale yellow with a sharp edge between it and the breast. They have a brown to warm fawn-brown iris, a gray maxilla, a paler mandible, and dark gray legs and feet.Clock, B. M. and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Kaempfer's Tody-Tyrant (''Hemitriccus kaempferi''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.kattyr1.01 retrieved January 28, 2025Distribution and habitat
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant was known from a few localities in southeastern Brazil's Santa Catarina state. By 2025 it was known from 10 sites in northeastern Santa Catarina and one in adjacent southeastern Paraná. It is native to the Serra do Mar coastal forests, where it inhabits tropical evergreen forest, early-stage secondary forest, and open low-stature woodland. It favors thick undergrowth, often with '' Cecropia'' and '' Heliconia'', and often near rivers. In elevation it is known only from near sea level to about .Behavior
Movement
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is a year-round resident.Feeding
Kaempfer's tody-tyrant feeds on insects. It typically forages singly or in pairs and is not known to join mixed-species feeding flocks. It mostly forages in dense vegetation between about above the ground. It takes prey using short upward sallies from a perch to grab it from the underside of leaves and also while briefly hovering after a short flight.Breeding
The one known nest of Kaempfer's tody-tyrant was discovered in October 1998. It was a partially concealed longish cup made mostly from moss with some grass and dead leaves. Both members of a pair were building the nest. It was wrapped around a horizontal branch about above the ground. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.Vocalization
The primary vocalization of Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is a "high-pitched, nasal, strident and raspy 'kuı´t-kuı´t' or 'kwit-kwit', sometimes given as 'kwit kwit-kwit kwit-kwit-kwit-kwit' ".Status
TheReferences
{{Taxonbar, from=Q632038 Hemitriccus Birds of the Atlantic Forest Endemic birds of Brazil Birds described in 1953 Taxa named by John T. Zimmer Taxonomy articles created by Polbot