Birds Of A Feather: Bandit Birds of México

By Dennis Taylor

México is home to three flycatchers with a distinctive black mask over their eyes. Thus adorned, they really do look like bandits. One of these, the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is common to our area. Its extensive range includes inland areas along both coasts of México, central areas south of San Miguel as well as the Yucatan. In addition, it can be found throughout most of Central America, and most of South America east of the Andes.

The Great Kiskadee is a fairly large bird at 8 ¼ to 10 ½ inches in length, and not at all shy about letting you know [they’re] it’s around. Inquisitive, and boisterous, they are noted for repeatedly calling out a refrain of their own name,”kis-ka-dee, kis-da-dee”. As shown here, they are impressively colored, with black mask and crown contrasted against pure white facial and neck feathers. Their breasts are a deep, sulfurous yellow. Primary and secondary wing feathers as well as tail feathers are a rufous color. The black mask covering their eyes is thought to be an adaptation to reduce glare and assist them in hunting in bright light or where light reflects off water. Kiskadees are omnivorous; they eat insects, small reptiles and frogs, fruits, seeds, and even dive for small fish or tadpoles in shallow water making them one of the few fishing passerines.

The Boat-billed Flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua) is practically indistinguishable from the greater Kiskadee with one very obvious difference: it sports a large, heavy bill that seems almost too large for its head. But size-wise, the boat-billed flycatcher at 8 ¼ to 9 ½ inches in length, is essentially identical with the great Kiskadee.

Like the great Kiskadee, its range includes the coasts of México, the Yucatan, Central and South America. However, it is absent from central areas of México. The Boat-billed Flycatcher is also an omnivorous eater with a diet including small reptiles, frogs, insects, fruits and berries. Although both are members of the same family, Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers, they belong to completely different genera. Accordingly, they have completely different calls.

The Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis) is one of the smaller versions of our “bandit birds”. Typically, they are only about 6 ¼ to 7 ¼ inches long, similar in size to the common house sparrow. As their name implies, they are indeed quite social. The picture shown here was taken while I was sitting in a lawn chair at a resort in Nuevo Vallarta and the bird was only a few feet away. Aside from their smaller size, they have a shorter beak relative to their head size. Otherwise, they exhibit the same coloring scheme as the two previously discussed birds.

The range of the social flycatcher overlaps that of the broad-billed flycatcher in México (also absent in central regions of México). However, it occupies a more limited range in Brazil than either of the foregoing. It feeds mostly on insects, but also includes some berries, fruits and seeds in its diet.

I would be remiss not to mention the Lesser Kiskadee (Philohydor lictor) even though it is not a resident of México. This look-alike is about the same size as the social flycatcher (6 to 7 inches in length). However, in appearance, it is essentially a smaller, more gracile version of the great Kiskadee with a more slender beak. It has a much more limited range as compared to the other birds. Its range only extends from Panama (where this photo was taken) to the northern regions of South America. It feeds almost exclusively on insects which it captures by snatching from vegetation or from the surface of standing water.

While all four of these birds are members of the Tyrannidae family (tyrant flycatchers), and exhibit strikingly similar coloring, what is truly amazing is that none of them are genetically related. In fact, three of them, the Great Kiskadee, the Boat-billed Flycatcher, and the Lesser Kiskadee, are all monotypic which is to say, they are the sole members of their genera. What this means is that the similarity of their color schemes is a result of convergent evolution, not because they are in any way related genetically.

As suggested earlier, their black masks may confer some advantage when hunting by reducing glare. But it remains nature’s mystery what advantages are derived from having such flashy yellow bellies, contrasting white/black heads and rufus/brown colored wings and tails. We shall have to enjoy them simply for the costume they wear, and not worry too much about why they wear it.