Yellow-olive Flatbill

Identification

The Yellow-olive Flatbill is a small tyrant flycatcher, measuring 12.5 to 14 cm in length and weighing around 14.5 to 15.2 grams. Its most distinctive features are its flattened bill—black on the upper mandible and pale gray to pinkish below—and its predominantly olive-green plumage. The species shows considerable plumage variation across its 16 subspecies, but all share certain key marks: a thin white eye-ring, pale olive ear coverts, and a bright yellow belly and undertail coverts that contrast sharply with grayish-olive upperparts and breast. The wings are dusky with yellowish-olive edges forming two subtle wing bars, while the tail is brownish with buffy edges. Males and females are identical in plumage. Juveniles are noticeably paler below with a broken eye-ring and darker iris than adults. The species' iris color varies from pale brown to pale gray depending on subspecies.