So far, we have documented about 150 species of birds in SaddleBrooke. One of the most secretive and interesting of these is a lightweight not much larger than a hummingbird, but with more syllables in his name than any of our other species. This is the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, whose name is as unusual and strange as it is long. He also has a cousin, the Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet, but to find him, you have to go to Costa Rica. If you are a birder, the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet is just one more reason to live in southeastern Arizona. Common from Mexico to Costa Rica, in the U.S. this tyrannulet is found only in the most southern part of Texas, southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. A member of the large tyrant flycatcher family, which includes such familiar birds as the Ash-throated Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher and Say’s Phoebe, the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet looks and behaves much more like a Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet or Bell’s Vireo.

Our other tyrant flycatchers hunt insects from exposed perches, like tree limbs (Ash-throated Flycatcher), power lines (Western Kingbird) or posts (Vermilion Flycatcher), but not the tyrannulet, which is one reason he is so seldom seen. Instead of hawking insects like his relatives, the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet hunts insects inside bushes and trees, hopping and foraging along branches, gleaning insects acrobatically in the fashion of Kinglets, Vireos and Verdins. Easily mistaken for these other gleaners, the tyrannulet is often overlooked or missed altogether by birders. In addition to his secretive behavior, the tyrannulet is not a common bird around here, making him even harder to find. Tyrannulets nest in southeastern Arizona, including parts of Pinal County, and although most tyrannulets winter in Mexico, Arizona observations have been recorded in every month of the year. The most likely nearby place to find a tyrannulet is Catalina State Park, but we have also seen them along the Canada del Oro Wash in Catalina Regional Park, as well as in SaddleBrooke. During a frosty morning walk along a golf cart path one February, we watched Verdins and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet foraging in the leafless mesquites. As we neared Ridgeview, we saw another small bird hopping around a bare-branched mesquite. We assumed this was another Kinglet or Verdin, but as we drew nearer we could see that this tiny bird had a flycatcher-like crest, no yellow head (like a Verdin) and no eye ring (like a Kinglet). This was our first discovery of a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet in SaddleBrooke, and we forgot the cold as we enjoyed this little bird’s acrobatic hunting just 10 feet away. To insure the best sightings, I had left my camera at home, but 12 days later we repeated the walk with a camera and found the tyrannulet again in the same tree.

And how does this tiny, feathered creature get “beardless” as part of his name? Well, almost all tyrant flycatchers have stiff bristles around their bills, which is as close to a “beard” as you’re going to find in a bird. Our tyrannulet has none of these, and consequently is called “beardless.” Since the other tyrant flycatchers catch insects in flight, rather than picking them off branches, it was thought these rictal bristles helped channel insects into the flying birds’ mouths. However, laboratory experiments that taped down or clipped off the bristles found that the birds were unimpaired in catching insects. Hopefully, the genius that came up with that experiment suffered a similar ordeal. Another rictal bristle theory is that they somehow protect flycatcher eyes from high-speed aerial collisions with insects. As far as I know, the lab technicians have not yet tested this idea. Let’s hope they find better things to do with their time.

If you have questions or comments about SaddleBrooke’s birds, or to receive emailed information about bird walks led by Bob and Prudy, call 825-9895 or email bobandpru@gmail.com. Previously published articles can be found atwww.birdingthebrookeandbeyond.com.


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