#cryptic flatbill

[todaysbird]

HELL YEAH!!! WELCOME CRYPTIC FLATBILL!!! (YES THAT IS ITS NAME!)

[new-dinosaurs]

Rhynchocyclus cryptus Simões et al., 2021 (new species)

(Preserved skin of a male individual of Rhynchocyclus cryptus, from Simões et al., 2021)

Meaning of name: cryptus = hidden

Suggested common name: Cryptic flatbill

Age: Holocene (Meghalayan), extant

Where found: Seasonally flooded forests in northwestern Brazil, eastern Peru, and north and central Bolivia

How much is known: Six collected specimens (four males and two females) are held at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.

Notes: The genus Rhynchocyclus belongs to a group of very diverse, mostly insect-eating birds from the Americas, known as the tyrant flycatchers (so called because because some species aggressively harass predators). The Rhynchocyclus species are fairly quiet and unassuming birds that are not very brightly colored, and as a result they tend not to draw much attention in the field. Members of this genus have been given the common name “flatbill” due to their very wide, flattened beak.

In a new study, researchers compared the external anatomy, genetics, and vocalizations of different Rhynchocyclus populations in detail, and suggested that the the olivaceous flatbill (R. olivaceus) should be split into four distinct species. One of these species was previously unnamed, and as a result the authors gave it the new name R. cryptus.

Although the authors did not find any morphological features that reliably distinguish R. cryptus from the other species formerly classified under R. olivaceus, it is genetically distinctive and can be identified by its song. Its closest living relative is the equinoctial flatbill (R. aequinoctialis), from which it appears to be geographically separated. R. cryptus does overlap in range with another flatbill species, the Guianan flatbill (R. guianensis). However, these two species have different habitat preferences, with R. guianensis being more commonly found in upland forests that are not seasonally flooded.

Reference: Simões, C.C., P.V. Cerqueira, P. Peloso, and A. Aleixo. 2021. Integrative taxonomy of flatbill flycatchers (Tyrannidae) reveals a new species from the Amazonian lowlands. Zoologica Scripta advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/zsc.12519