Pyrocephalus OBSCURUS
Status: Rare casual spring and fall visitor central and east.
Documentation: Photograph: 16 May 1995 Lancaster Co (Brogie 1996).
Taxonomy: Twelve subspecies have generally been recognized (Carmi et al 2016), but recent genetic studies indicated separate species status for each of the two Galapagos Islands subspecies, apparently extinct San Cristobal Flycatcher (P. dubius) and extant Brujo Flycatcher (P. nanus); species status as Austral Vermilion Flycatcher was also indicated for the South American migratory subspecies P. rubinus (Carmi et al 2016).
Gill et al (2022) used the name Darwin’s Flycatcher for the extant birds of the Galapagos Islands (nanus) and Scarlet Flycatcher for the South American migratory birds (rubinus).
The split of southern P. rubinus requires the northern species’ epithet to change from rubinus to obscurus, now consisting of nine subspecies, the two occurring north of Mexico are P. obscurus flammeus and P. o. mexicanus (Gill et al 2022).
None of the Nebraska records have been identified to subspecies; there is no specimen. As discussed below, Nebraska records may be of three different subspecies, mexicanus, flammeus, and rubinus.
Pyle (1997) stated that both flammeus and mexicanus are vagrants northeastwards, although Ellison et al (2021) noted that, analogous to Fork-tailed Flycatcher, the southernmost migratory population of Vermilion (Scarlet, Austral Vermilion) Flycatcher (P. rubinus) may in fact account for the northernmost, generally late fall sightings in Oct-Nov. However, an Ontario, Canada record Oct-Nov 1949 was identified as subspecies mexicanus (eBird.org, accessed Nov 2023). There are numerous records north and east of the expected breeding range, including a few in southern Canada and one in Newfoundland (eBird.org, accessed Nov 2023).
Spring: There are seven reports, five documented and the others likely correct; all are listed here.
31 Mar-4 Apr 2017, female photographed Rowe Sanctuary, Buffalo Co (Jorgensen 2018, Brogie 2018)
11 Apr 2018, female photographed Buffalo Lake, Buffalo Co (Flack; Brogie 2019)
29 Apr 2011, male photographed near Keystone, Keith Co (Marquene Koontz, fide Charles Brown; Brogie 2020)
7 May 2021 Bartley WTP, Red Willow Co (Flack, eBird.org); not accepted by NOURC as “lacking in detail for acceptance”, Brogie 2022). Details provided by observer are: “I immediately identified the bird as a female Vermilion, with which I’m quite familiar from my time living and birding in Tucson. The shape and the hawking from the line identified it as a flycatcher, and no other small flycatcher would have the pink on the undertail coverts and lower belly. The only species that’s remotely similar would be Say’s Phoebe, but Say’s is larger, with a proportionally longer tail and body, and the color of its underparts is more like the orange of a robin’s breast, whereas this bird’s were definitely pink.”
16 May 1995, Lancaster Co, photographed (Gubanyi 1996)
27 May 1976, Lincoln Co (Williams 1976)
29 Jun 1980, a pair seen by veteran out-of-state birders at the Valentine Fish Hatchery, Cherry Co (Loren and Babs Padelford, personal communication).
Fall: There are five reports, including one accepted by NOURC; most are in late fall, 25 Oct-11 Dec, and all probably correct.
17 Aug-8 Sep 2021, adult male Johnson Co (Marcia Gilliam fide Joel Jorgensen; Brogie 2022)
25 Oct and 9 Nov 2017, probably same bird, River Road, Phelps Co, photographed (Furman; Brogie 2018)
4 Nov 1960, headless remains found at North Platte and identified as this species (Viehmeyer 1961)
21 Nov 1954, a newspaper clipping adequately described an adult male which was found near Carter Lake in Douglas Co (Grenon 1991, Rapp et al 1958)
11 Dec 1954, an immature male that had been present on the grounds of the University of Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station near North Platte since Oct was collected (Rapp et al 1958, Bray et al 1986). The specimen was mounted and deposited at the Hastings Municipal Museum, where it was observed by Burton Nelson, but the specimen cannot now be located (Bray et al 1986).
Comments: Regarding northward vagrancy of this species, see notes in Taxonomy.
Images
Abbreviations
NOURC: Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee
WTP: Water Treatment Plant
Literature Cited
Bray, T.E., B.K. Padelford, and W.R. Silcock. 1986. The birds of Nebraska: A critically evaluated list. Published by the authors, Bellevue, Nebraska, USA.
Brogie, M.A. 1996. 1995 (Seventh) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 64: 132-138.
Brogie, M.A. 2018. 2017 (29th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 86: 131-142.
Brogie, M.A. 2019. 2018 (30th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 87: 96-109.
Brogie, M.A. 2020. 2019 (31st) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 88: 124-134.
Brogie, M.A. 2022. 2021 (33rd) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 90: 113-122.
Carmi, O., C.C. Witt, A. Jaramillo, and J.P. Dumbacher. 2016. Phylogeography of the Vermilion Flycatcher species complex: Multiple speciation events, shifts in migratory behavior, and an apparent extinction of a Galápagos-endemic bird species. Molecular Phylogenetic Evolution 102: 152-173. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.029.
Ellison, K., B.O. Wolf, and S.L. Jones. 2021. Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.verfly.01.1.
Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Grenon, A.G. 1991. 1991 (Fourth) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 59: 150-155.
Gubanyi, J.G. 1996. 1995 (Seventh) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 64: 132-138.
Jorgensen, J.G. 2018. Addition and Correction to Best Birds of 2017. The Burrowing Owl, April 2018, Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.
Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California, USA.
Rapp, W.F. Jr., J.L.C. Rapp, H.E. Baumgarten, and R.A. Moser. 1958. Revised checklist of Nebraska birds. Occasional Papers 5, Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Crete, Nebraska, USA.
Viehmeyer, G. 1961. Excerpts from letters. NBR 29: 23.
Williams, F. 1976. Southern Great Plains Region. American Birds 30: 858-862.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2023. Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 16 Nov 2023