FIRST OBSERVATIONS OF DISPLAY BY SHORT-TAILED PYGMY-TYRANT MYIORNIS ECAUDATUS

Abstract

Courtship or antagonistic displays are known in the genus Myiornis solely from a single anecdotal report pertaining to Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant M. atricapillus in the tertiary literature. I present a description of what I believe to be a courtship display for the Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant M. ecaudatus from observations in northern Peru. The display was perhaps unusual, compared to known displays of other small tyrant-flycatchers (genera Atalotriccus and Hemitriccus), in apparently lacking any audible sound release but instead seemed to be exclusively visual, and involved both perched and flight components. Further observations, however, are required to adequately characterise the behavior and to ascertain its precise social function. In the absence of a complete molecular phylogeny for the five (including one undescribed) species currently placed in Myiornis, behavioral data could prove informative in constructing a robust taxonomic hypothesis for the group.