Social Flycatcher, Myiozetetes similis

Social Flycatcher, Myiozetetes similis primulas. Photograph taken within a residential community in Alamos, Sonora, January 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

The Social Flycatcher, Myiozetetes similis primulas, is one of seven subspecies of Social Flycatcher, three of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Tyrannidae Family of Tyrant Flycatchers, which has four hundred twenty-five global members place in one hundred and one genera, and one of four global species of the Myiozetetes Genus. They are known in Mexico as bienteveo sociable.

The Social Flycatcher is relatively small but stocky in stature. They are yellow, black and white with brown underparts and tail, a short, black decurved bill, a bold black and white striped head, and yellow underparts that run from the white throat to the undertail coverts. Their iris are brown and their legs are black. The sexes are similar with the females being slightly smaller than the males.

The Social Flycatcher is found within moist to humid and semi-arid semi-open lowland areas with scattered bushes and trees, clearings, second growth, forest and woodland canopy and borders, lake and river margins and residential areas in close proximity to water at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 feet). They are generally non-migratory but will wander following food sources. They are normally found in pairs or in small family groups during breeding season and in large groups in fruiting trees where they are highly visible, noisy and excitable being known for its shrill and piercing, loud, excited calls. They consume insects, small berries, seeds and other fruits. The Social Flycatcher is poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.

The Social Flycatcher is a year-round resident of Mexico being found in coastal regions within both the Atlantic and Pacific Slope, with the exception that they are absent from northern Sonora and Tamaulipas. The primulas subspecies is found in western Mexico from southern Sonora south to northern Sinaloa.

From a conservation perspective the Social Flycatcher is currently considered to be of Least Concern, with stable widely distributed populations.