PYROCEPHALUS RUBINUS, VERMILION FLYCATCHER

The Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus is an unmistakable species because of its beautiful scarlet red color. Its name is a double reference to the red coloration of its plumage (pyro of fire, and cephalus, head, rubinus like ruby, the precious stone of deep red color).

The Vermilion Flycatchers feed mainly on flying and terrestrial insects and prefer grasshoppers, bees, beetles, and crickets. They wait on a branch, throw themselves after their prey, catch them on the fly, and beat them before consuming them. 

They live in dry, open land with trees and stubble in altitudes of up to 3000 m.a.s.l. Its average life is five and a half years.

The nest is a cup made of twigs, grasses, and fibers coated with feathers and hairs. The female completes the nest with cobwebs and lichens and lays 2-3 white eggs with large reddish-brown spots. The female incubates the eggs, which is 13-15 days. While the female incubates the eggs, the male feeds her by quickly depositing the food in her beak and leaving quickly.

The pigeons are born around 14 or 15 days later, weigh just over 1 gram, and their first plumage is the same color as the female, except with an orange abdomen. Their eyes begin to open a few days after hatching.

Both parents feed the young approximately 3.5 times per hour. They feed mainly on butterflies and moths.

They spend little time on the ground. They are diurnal, and both the male and the female groom frequently during the day, observing that they rub their beaks on the branches to clean themselves after feeding.

They are probably exposed to the typical predators of small birds. Snakes and owls can take eggs and chicks, while hawks can capture juveniles.