Foraging Behavior of Neotropical Tyrant Flycatchers

Abstract

An overview of the foraging characteristics of tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) is presented in three parts. First, the physical techniques of different prey capture methods are described, and a standardized nomenclature for these techniques is suggested. Second, ten predominant "foraging modes" are defined according to the comparative frequencies with which each prey capture method is used by different species. Certain species use specialized foraging modes, in that their foraging behavior is confined to a single capture method. Other more generalized foraging modes are characterized by the use of several or many capture methods with similar frequency. Third, the distribution of these foraging modes within the family as a whole is summarized in a genus by genus outline, with genera grouped according to a recent systematic revision of the family. The resulting pattern shows that each of the three subfamilies contains certain behaviorally generalized genera as well as radiations into related, but more specialized, foraging modes.