Piratic Flycatcher - Texas

A Piratic Flycatcher, Legatus leucopalus, was found by Gene Blacklock on 3 May at Pollywog Pond, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas. There are other records from Texas, New Mexico, and Florida, but see below.

On 15 March 1991, a "Variegated Flycatcher" was reported in the Dry Tortugas, Florida.  In a subsequent 2004 review, the Records Committee of the Florida Ornithological Society, voted 7-0 in favor of the Variegated Flycatcher being removed from the state list and correctly replaced by Piratic Flycatcher.  On 12 September 2003 a Piratic Flycatcher was identified from Bosque Redondo, near Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  Another record from Rattlesnake Springs, New Mexico, was originally identified as Variegated Flycatcher, and a 4 April 1998 record of Piratic Flycatcher from Big Bend National Park, Texas, was first identified as a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

Piratic Flycatcher is a resident in Mexico as far north as southern Veracruz state.  It is a widespread species, breeding as far south as northern Argentina.  This species received its name from its habit of aggressively stealing nests of other species, especially those of becards and oropendolas in Mexcio.  It repeatedly drives away original nest owners, and then removes any existing eggs.  Piratic Flycatcher also takes over abandoned nests, but it is not known to build its own nest.

This species is easy to identify by voice, but is reported as being silent from extralimital records.  By plumage, they are separated from Variegated Flycatcher by Variegated's more obvious eyebrow and rufous, not brownish tail, along with Piratic's smaller, wider bill.  The migrant subspecies of Variegated, rufinus, lacks the distinct breast streaking found in Piratic.  For visual comparisons between Variegated, Sulphur-bellied, and Piratic Flycatchers, I recommend the new Birds of Northern South America, Volume 1-2, by Robin Restall, et. al. and Martin Reid's website, www.martinreid.com/Main%20website/piratic.html where excellent comparisons of the two species are presented.

Bill Maynard
Editor - Winging it