Baird’s Flycatcher

Baird's flycatcher (Myiodynastes bairdii) is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. == Taxonomy and systematics == Baird's flycatcher has a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described as Saurophagus bairdii, placing it with the great kiskadee. It was later renamed Tyrannus atrifrons, placing it with the kingbirds, then was renamed Myiodynastes atrifrons, and finally in 1883 achieved its present binomial Myiodynastes bairdii. The species' type locality was described as California, a clear error, and a correction to Guayaquil, Ecuador, was proposed in 1926. The English name and specific epithet of Baird's flycatcher honor Spencer Fullerton Baird, a 19th-century naturalist and the first curator and later Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Baird's flycatcher is monotypic. == Description == Baird's flycatcher is about 23 cm (9.1 in) long; one female weighed 45 g (1.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a pale sandy brown to whitish forecrown and sandy brown crown with light gray streaks and a usually hidden yellow patch in the center. They have a wide black "mask" that extends to the dusky ear coverts. Their upperparts are mostly olive-brown with a more rufous rump.…