About the Rufous Flycatcher
The rufous flycatcher is a Vulnerable species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is considered endemic to Peru but has possibly occurred in Ecuador.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The rufous flycatcher is 17 to 19 cm (6.7 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 21 to 25 g (0.74 to 0.88 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a brown head and upperparts except for rufous uppertail coverts. Their wings are mostly rufous with brown primary coverts and some brown on the others. Their outer pair of tail feathers are rufous-brown and the rest have dark rufous inner webs and dark chocolate-brown outer webs with a thin rufous edge. Their throat and underparts are light cinnamon-rufous that is lighter on the chin and darker on the undertail coverts. Voice: As of July 2025 xeno-canto had only four recordings of rufous flycatcher vocalizations; the Cornell Lab's Macaulay Library had 14 with no overlap. The species' dawn song is "alternated huit notes and rasping whistles with a more complex phrase derived from a hiccup note...and simple descending whistle frequently interjected". Its calls are "a sharp, high pew! or teep!
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Ecuador.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Lesser Antillean FlycatcherMyiarchus oberiThe Lesser Antillean flycatcher is 19 to 22 cm (7.5 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 21 to 37 g (0.74 to 1.3 oz).
Venezuelan FlycatcherMyiarchus venezuelensisThe Venezuelan flycatcher is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 27 to 33 g (0.95 to 1.2 oz).
Rufous-tailed FlycatcherMyiarchus validusThe rufous-tailed flycatcher is a large flycatcher, about 24 cm (9.4 in) long and weighing about 39 to 43 g (1.4 to 1.5 oz).
Learn the Rufous Flycatcher for real
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