Phyllomyias is a genus of small birds in the tyrant-flycatcher family Tyrannidae. They are found in wooded habitats of Central and South America. Some species are among the commonest birds in their range, while other are rare and threatened. They have a short, stubby bill, are greenish above, yellowish or whitish below, and all except the sooty-headed tyrannulet have pale wing-bars or edging. They feed on small arthropods and fruits. Most species regularly take part in mixed species flocks.
The genus Phyllomyias was introduced in 1860 by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanis and Ferdinand Heine.[1] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek φυλλον/phullon meaning "leaf" with Modern Latin myias meaning "flycatcher".[2] The type species was subsequently designated in 1888 by Philip Sclater as Platyrhynchus brevirostris Spix, now a subspecies of the Planalto tyrannulet.[3] [4]
The genus formerly included more species. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 found that the genus was paraphyletic.[5] In the rearrangement to create monophyletic genera three species were moved to the resurrected genus Tyranniscus and two species to the resurrected genus Acrochordopus.[6] The genus Phyllomyias now contains 9 species:[6]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phyllomyias virescens | Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay | ||
| Phyllomyias reiseri | central Brazil and northern Paraguay | ||
| Phyllomyias urichi | Venezuela | ||
| Phyllomyias sclateri | Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru | ||
| Phyllomyias weedeni | north-western Bolivia and far south-eastern Peru | ||
| Phyllomyias fasciatus | eastern Brazil, extreme north-eastern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina | ||
| Phyllomyias griseiceps | Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela | ||
| Phyllomyias plumbeiceps | Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru | ||
| Phyllomyias griseocapilla | Brazil | ||