The golden-bellied flycatcher (''Myiodynastes hemichrysus'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the tyrant flycatcher family. It is an endemic resident breeder in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and western

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. This species is found in the canopy and at the edges of wet,

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

-draped mountain forests, especially near streams or clearings. It occurs at middle elevations, typically between 700 and 1850 m altitude, locally to 2300 m in the south of its restricted range. The nest is a shallow open cup placed in a tree hollow, old

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

nest, or clump of epiphytes, or a vegetation-covered vertical bank. The female lays a typical clutch of three pinkish eggs, which are marked with red-brown spots. The golden-bellied flycatcher is 20 cm long, weighs 41g and has a black bill. Its crown is grey with a concealed yellow patch, and it has a black eyemask. The upperparts are dark olive, and the wings and tail are brown with faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow and the throat is white with dark stripes down each side which distinguish it from similar species like

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

or gray-capped flycatchers. Young birds have paler yellow underparts, browner upperparts, no crown stripe, and more obvious chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The call of the golden-bellied flycatcher is a squeaky ''seeeik'' and the dawn song is a melodious repeated ''tre-le-loo''. Golden-bellied flycatchers typically perch on a high watchpoint from which to sally forth and catch flying insects, but they eat a range other food items, including

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

References

Further reading