The mistletoe tyrannulet (Zimmerius parvus) is a very small bird, a passerine in family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
The mistletoe tyrannulet was described in 1862 by the American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence under the binomial name Tyranniscus parvus.[2] It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Guatemalan tyrannulet (Zimmerius vilissimus), but the species were split based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013.[3][4]
The mistletoe tyrannulet is a small bird, 11 - 12 cm in length as an adult. Adults have a slaty cap, a bright white supercilium ("eyebrow"), an olive-green back and conspicuous yellow edging along the wing.[5]
The mistletoe tyrannulet ranges from Guatemala and Honduras south to the extremity of northwestern Colombia. It can be found in humid evergreen forest and edge, cultivation and semi-open areas with large trees. It is a fairly common to common bird across its range.
This species is a very frequent caller, incessantly giving a call that has been rendered variously as peeyaik, pee-peeu or pee-yuip and sounds similar to that of the thick-billed euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris), another mistletoe-loving species.
The mistletoe tyrannulet's nest is a globular mass of rootlets, mosses and other plant matter, hidden in a tangle or growth or in an epiphyte. The clutch is two whitish eggs, speckled rusty.[6]
The mistletoe tyrannulet is an active forager, moving quickly about with its tail cocked as it searches for prey, mainly arthropods, amidst the foliage. It can be found as a member of a mixed-species feeding flock.[7] The bird also takes fruit, preferentially that of mistletoes (order Santalales).
Howell, N.G.; Webb, Sophie (2017). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico & Northern Central America.
Ridgeley, Robert J.; Gwynne, John A., Jr. (1989). A Guide to the Birds of Panama.
The mistletoe tyrannulet (Zimmerius parvus) is a very small bird, a passerine in family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers.
