Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant

Identification

The scale-crested pygmy tyrant is one of the smallest flycatchers in the Americas, measuring just 8 to 10 cm in length and weighing only 7 to 8 grams. Its most distinctive feature is the long crown of feathers that form an erect, fan-shaped crest—the source of its name. Males display a noticeably larger crest than females, though the rest of their plumage is identical between sexes. The nominate subspecies displays a striking black crest with rufous-edged feathers, an olive back, dusky wings with yellow-edged flight feathers, and white throat and upper breast with dusky streaking. The bird's underparts are washed with light yellow, and it possesses a yellow iris, gray bill, and pinkish legs. Other subspecies show subtle variations: some have brown rather than black crests, olive-green or yellowish edges on flight feathers, and varying intensities of yellow on the underparts.