Firstphotographically documented recordof Social Flycatcher ( iozetetes similis)for the UnitedStates

JOHNC. ARVIN ß GULFCOAST BIRD OBSERVATORY ß 103 WEST HIGHWAY 332 ß LAKEJACKSON, TEXAS 77566 ß (EMAIL:[email protected]) MARKW. LOCKWOODß 402 EASTHARRIET AVENUE - ALPINE,TEXAS 79830 - (EMAIL:[email protected])

Abstract Bentsen-RioGrande Valley State Park, of the resaca. For much of the duration We presentthe first fully documented Hidalgo County,Texas (Figures 1, 2). of the observation, the bird remained recordof SocialFlycatcher (Myiozetetes The bird wasinitially heard calling from largelyhidden from view, occasionally similis)for the United States,a single a row of Huisache(Acacia smallii) along making salliesup to the tops of the bird presentat Bentsen-RioGrande Val- an irrigationcanal on the northernbor- trees.It wasnot particularlyvocal, call- ley State Park, HidalgoCounty, Texas der of the statepark. It disappearedbe- ing only irregularly. Initially, it was from 7-14January 2005. fore it couldbe photographedbut was highlyresponsive to playback,but this relocatedon 8 Januaryalong the edgeof behaviordiminished with exposure. Field encounter a resaca (an oxbow lake of the Rio In addition to occasional sallies tbr On 7 January2005, Arvin discovereda Grande)within the statepark. This for- insects,the bird was observedeating Social Flycatcher(Myiozetetes sireills) mer tent-campingarea has manicured fruits of Anacua (Ehretia anacua) and near the headquartersof the World grasswith numerouslarge trees and a Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata). Birding Center, located adjacent to dense,narrow woodland along the edge During the remainderof its stay,il moved between the for- mer tent-camping area and the adjacentdensely wooded portions of the statepark, primarily fre- quentingthe canopyand edgesof the taller wood- land. It remained in this area through 14 January. Photographstaken on that date (Figure l) seem to show an injury that was not noticedprior to that day. The right leg ap- peared twisted and non- functional and its right flank was smeared with ß blood.The flycatcherwas not seen after that date and is presumedto have succumbedto this injury. Discussion SocialFlycatcher is a dis- tinclly marked species. The individual observed al Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park had bright yellow underparts FigureI ThisSocial Flycatcher exhibited plumage characteristics andbehavior consistent with populalions innorthem Mexico. Although contrasting with olive- thespecies isnot known to wander, this individual represents thesecond sighting inthe Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. This photograph brown upperparts. Its was•aken on the final day of its week-long s•ay, 7-14 January 2005. Photograph by6eo#Malosh. wings and tail appeared

180 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS PHOTOGRAPHICRECORDOFSOCIAL FLYCATCHER FORTHE UNITED STATES

slightly more brownishin color than ferences.The very similar congeneric portsaway from the knownrange. its upperparts.Its crown was a dark Rusty-marginedFlycatcher (M. caya- graybordered by a broadwhite super- hensis) has rufous inner webs on the Acknowledgments cilium. The remainder of the head primaries, has blackish (not gray) We would like to thank Geoff Malosh plumage consisted of a slaty gray crown and mask stripes,and givesa and Pierre Howard for the use of their "mask"(lores, auriculars, and adjacent long,thin, up-slurredwhistle, a distinc- excellentphotographs. Petra Hockey, plumage) and white throat. Its pale tive vocalization.Despite careful stud), Eric Carpenter,PA. Buckley,J. Van gray iridescontrasted with this mask. we were not able to determinethe age Remsen, and Louis R. Bevier reviewed Althoughconcealed most of the time, of the SocialFlycatcher in Texas. previousdrafts of the manuscriptand its crimson central crown stripe was Social Flycatcher ranges from providedmany helpful suggestions. well seenby severalobservers on 9 Jan- northeastern Mexico south to Bolivia uary,when the bird wasfeeding low in and Argentina (Howell and Webb Literature cited a vine tangle.Its bill was small and 1995, Ridgely and Tudor 1994). In American Ornithologists' Union somewhat triangular in shape. The Mexico, the species' northernmost [A.O.U.]. 1998. The A.¸.U. Check- bird's overall size was described as known populationis found in central list of NorthAmerican Birds. Seventh slightlyshorter than that of a kingbird Tamaulipasin the drainagesof the Rio edition. AmericanOrnithologists' (Tyrannusspecies). It calledoccasion- Corona and R•o Purificaci6n, within Union,Washington, D.C. ally, giwng a distinctive,shrill see-yh. 200 km of the Rio Grande. In Tamauli- Arvin, J. C. 2001. Birdsof the Gomez Lessoften, it brokeinto a longervocal- pas, Social Flycatchers are present FariasRegion, southwestern Tamauli- ization. This vocalizationwas given year-round in low elevations, and, pas, Mexico:an annotatedchecklist. mostly in responseto playback and whereforest has been cleared, occur up Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart- may be transcribedas teeya,tortilla- to an elevation of 1000 m (Arvin ment, Austin, Texas. tortilla-tortilla. Arvin audio-recorded 2001). A well-describedsight record of Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A this vocalizationon 9 JanuaD: the species comes from Anzalduas Guide to the Bi•rls of Mexico and This plumagepattern of SocialFly- CountyPark, Hidalgo County, Texas in Northen• Central America. Oxford catcher is shared with numerous 1991. This location is about 5 km UniversityPress, Oxford. Neotropicalflycatchers. Of particular downriver from Bentsen-Rio Grande Ridgley,R. S., and G. Tudor.1994. The interest in the identification of this in- ValleyState Park. This species is appar- Birdsof SouthAmerica. Volume 2. dividual are Great Kiskadee(Pitangus ently not proneto wandering,and the University of Texas Press,Austin, sulphuratus),which is locallycommon two recordsfrom Texas are the only re- Texas. in southem Texas, and Boat- billedFlycatcher (Megarvnchus pitangua), which occurs in northeastern Mexico but has not been recorded in the United States. Great Kiskadee is a largerbird with obviousru- facepattern consists ofblack fous(as opposedinthe wings to slatyand tail. gray)Its crownstripe and mask. It often displaysits brightyellow cen- tral crown stripe in interac- tions with other birds. It is also vocally distinct. Boat-billed Flycatcheris similarin overall '- coloration,though lacking rn- fous tones,but is even larger than a Great Kiskadee and has a massivebill. It is alsove D, distinctivevocally. In addition, a numberof geographicallyre- mote speciesin the genera Conopias,Philohydor (merged by the American Ornitholo- gists'Union [1998] with Pitan- gus), and Phelpsiashare the "kiskadee" pattern. These could also be eliminated from considerationby a combina- Figure2. On ? January 2005 (here), the Social Flycatcher waslargely quiet and remained within the woods edge and canopy. tion of plumageand vocaldif- PhotographbyPierre Howard.

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