Yungas Tyrant-Flycatcher approximately 16 cm long, with a slender build, relatively long tail, and a thin bluish-gray bill with a black tip. It exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. The male is uniformly lead-gray, slightly darker on the wings and tail, lacking conspicuous wing bars. The iris is orange-red to deep red. The female has brownish or olive tones on the upperparts, with a bright rufous rump and upper tail coverts, two conspicuous buff or cinnamon wing bars, and grayish-ochre to buff underparts, generally with little or no streaking on the breast. The iris is reddish but duller than that of the male.
Geographic distribution: It is distributed throughout the Yungas of southeastern Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina. In Argentina, it inhabits the Yungas of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, and Catamarca, mainly between 700 and 2,700 m above sea level. It performs local altitudinal movements and is more frequently observed at lower elevations during winter.
Habitat: It primarily inhabits the interior and edges of the montane Yungas forest, especially stands of Andean alder (Alnus acuminata), mountain podocarp forests (Podocarpus parlatorei), secondary forests, and shrubby areas associated with ravines and streams. During winter, it may also use lower Yungas elevations and foothill environments. It is most often found in the middle vegetation strata, in humid and relatively closed habitats.
Diet: It feeds mainly on insects and other small arthropods. It usually captures its prey by making short sallies from exposed perches, repeatedly returning to the same branch.
Behavior: It is generally a solitary, inconspicuous, and quiet species. It remains perched upright on branches in the middle vegetation strata, often moving or gently vibrating its tail from side to side. During the breeding season, males perform striking aerial displays, rising in short, arched flights accompanied by a wing hum and brief mechanical sounds before returning to the same perch.
Nesting: It builds a cup-shaped nest made of mosses, plant fibers, and small twigs, lined internally with feathers, and placed at low to medium height on horizontal branches of shrubs or small trees. The clutch usually consists of one to three whitish eggs with brown spots concentrated at one end.
Conservation status: Classified as Least Concern (LC) at the international level and not considered threatened in Argentina. Although it may be locally common, its distribution is closely linked to the conservation of the montane Yungas forests. The degradation and fragmentation of these habitats could affect its local populations.
Author of this compilation: María Belén Dri and Diego Carús – 07/12/2026