ANIMALS – BIRDS – SONGBIRDS – VERMILION FLYCATCHER (PYROCEPHALUS RUBINUS)

Animals - Birds - Songbirds

Vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Passeriformes
Family : Tyrannidae
Genus : Pyrocephalus
Species : P. Rubinus

Description:

The Vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is a small passerine bird in the Tyrannidae, or tyrant flycatcher family. Most flycatchers are rather drab, but the vermilion flycatcher is a striking exception. It is a favorite with birders, but is not generally kept in aviculture, as the males tend to lose their vermilion coloration when in captivity.

When Pieter Boddaert first described the vermilion flycatcher in 1783, from a specimen collected in Tefé, Brazil, he assigned it to the genus Muscicapa, believing it to be related to the many Old World flycatchers already belonging to that genus. By the 1830s, however, taxonomists realized that Old World and New World flycatchers were not closely related, and the New World birds were moved from their former genera. In 1839, John Gould created the current genus Pyrocephalus for the vermilion flycatcher. While it is considered a monotypic genus by many authorities, some taxonomists believe that one or both of the vermilion flycatcher subspecies found on the Galápagos Islands merit species status.

There are 12 widely recognized subspecies, which differ primarily in the color and saturation of the male's plumage and the color and amount of streaking of the females. The boundaries between some of the subspecies are not well defined.

The vermilion flycatcher is a small bird, measuring 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) in length, with a mass between 11 and 14 g (0.39 and 0.49 oz). It strongly dimorphic; males are bright red, with dark brown plumage. Females have a peach-colored belly with a dark gray upperside, and are similar to Say's phoebe.

Binomial Name:

Name : Pyrocephalus rubinus
Taxonomist : Pieter Boddaert (Middelburg - Netherlands)
Year : 1783
Subspecies : 12 (Ardens, Blatteus, Cocachacrae, …)
Synonyms : None or not data available

Conservation Status by IUCN:

Status : Least Concern

Has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated but not qualified for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (prior to 2001) conservation dependent.

Philatelic Issues

2015 - Uruguay - Stamp 1 of 4, from Spring Series

Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: August 31st, 2012
Printed: 15.000 Copies
Type: Stamp from Series of 4 Stamps
Value: UYP 15

Stamp: Rectangular
Size: 39 mm. x 27 mm.
Perforation: Circular
Gum: Water Activated