Spectacled Tyrant: Pico de Plata, Hymemnops Perspicillatus

Meet the Flower Child of Patagonia

Photos of the Spectacled Tyrant by Gail Parker

(PATAGONIA, Argentina) - The Tyrannidae family of the order of song or perching birds is the World’s largest with over 350 species in North and South America. About 124 of these are encountered in Patagonia. Not surprisingly due to the great number of species, it is the group of birds then that is most endangered and threatened.

However, the eccentric looking spectacled tyrant, known as silver beak in Spanish (Pico de Plata) seems to be holding its own at the moment. Currently we see pairs and young in one of our nearby birding habitats.

They catch insects atop the non-native rosa mosqueta (wild rose), retama (Scotch broom) and Canadian thistle that are overrunning the tiny El Bolson airport.

However, in a few months these intellectual looking birds will migrate to Central Bolivia or Southern Brazil to winter and perhaps attend a symposium on the problem of the encroachment of hairless monkeys on their habitat.

The tyrants, often called flycatchers like their European relatives, are very diverse, many quite plain but not our pico de plata.

Photos of the Spectacled Tyrant by Gail Parker

Like a free spirit from the halcyon days of the hippies, the 5-inch tall black tyrant has creamy yellow daisies around its eyes. Hence the reference to spectacles in both the English and Latin names.

Those eyes are startling, really quite comical, and it makes one wonder at the inventiveness of mother nature.

Surely the ability of this bird to catch its buggy dinner is enhanced by the sharp eyes disguised as flowers.

The male is black with white primary wing feathers, and these can be seen distinctly when they surge into the air together for a brief flight.

The female also has the daisy spectacles, but the young do not. The young do however share plumage color with the female; brown striated with a rufous wing patch that is also very visible in flight.

The beak, like the eye, is creamy yellow and the feet of both sexes are black. They have a typical tyrant silhouette which aids in identification. Their song is short and not particularly memorable.

But who could ever forget those eyes!

Watch for Gail's wonderful coverage of the birds of Patagonia in future stories and photojournals here on Salem-News.com.