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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 124, No. 1, March 2012 
4 cm deep and was lined predominantly with scales 
from the tree-fern (Cyathea spp.), but included a few 
small sticks and brightly colored feathers. Both eggs 
were predominantly white with a few small, widely 
dispersed, chocolate brown spots, predominantly around 
the fattest area. They measured 24.0 X 18 and 23.0 X 
17.5 nun. and weighed 3.6 and 3.5 g, respectively. The 
first fully feathered fledgling left the nest on 2 
November and the second on 3 November, for a 
nestling period ol 16—17 days. We noted the presence of 
a third bird (besides the pair) which remained within the 
territory through the entire nesting period, at times in 
close association with the breeding pair. Received 4 
March 2011. Accepted 15 July 2011. 
adult. Unexpectedly, a third adult appeared hut 
seemed to elicit no reaction from the already- 
present adults. We did not search for the nest that 
evening as darkness was approaching. We re¬ 
turned the following morning and observed an 
adult entering the nest in a dead stump. 
Nest .—The nest was a shallow open cup. 2 m 
above ground on the side of a dead stump covered 
in epiphytic mosses, ferns, orchids, and bromeli- 
ads (Fig. 1 A). The supporting trunk was 3 tn rail 
in a re-growing pasture 30 m from the forest edge 
The nest was sunk into naturally growing tiros* 
and its exact outer dimensions were difficult to 
Bush tyrants are a group of four New World 
flycatchers (Tyrannidae) which, together with 
>20 other genera, belong to subfamily Fluvico- 
linae (Fitzpatrick 2004, Ohlson et al. 2008, Tello 
et al. 2009). The Smoky Bush Tyrant ( Myiother - 
etes fumigants) occurs on both slopes of the 
Andes from western Venezuela and northern 
Colombia to Peru. The nominate subspecies, 
fumigants , occurs in nonhem Ecuador, while 
ssp. cajamarcae occurs in southern Ecuador and 
adjacent Peru, mostly from 2.000 to 3,200 m asl 
(Ridgely and Greenfield 2001, Fitzpatrick 2004). 
Ridgely and Greenfield (2001: 511) stated the 
Smoky Bush Tyrant “generally remains inside 
forest,"' but reponed this species to be most 
frequent in the subcanopy of humid montane 
forest edges and shrubby slopes or grassy regions 
with scattered trees. We conducted our studies in 
the vicinity of the Yanayacu Biological Station 
and Center for Creative Studies. 5 km west of 
Cosanga. Napo Province. Ecuador, at an altitude 
of —2,100 m asl. The habitat in the area is 
dominated by montane cloud forest, interspersed 
with several small, semi-open clearings. One pair 
of birds occupied a small natural clearing 
dominated by Chttsquea bamboo surrounded by 
high trees; another pair was observed in a larger 
area of Clui.se/uea bamboo with scattered low 
trees. A third pair, which was attending a nest, 
was in a pasture with scattered bushes and small 
trees. 
OBSERVATIONS 
We flushed an adult Smoky Bush Tyrant on t 
afternoon of 11 October 2009 from a dead stun 
Z:,r StUK , heh, ' ni1 th = ^ Station T 
adult gave alarm calls as it changed perch, 
several times, and was soon joined by asecon 
measure; it was — 12 cm wide by 6.5 cm in height 
The egg cup measured 7 cm wide X 4 cm deep 
The outer portion of the cup was constructed 
principally of moss intertwined with sparse 
rootlets. The cup was lined predominantly with 
scales from the tree-fern ( Cyathea spp ). bui 
included a few small sticks and brightly colored 
feathers (Fig. IB). 
EgRS -—The nest on first inspection (12 Oct. 
contained two well-incubated eggs. Both eggs 
were predominantly white with a few (~lOl 
small, chocolate brown dots, widely dispersed amt 
predominantly around the thickest pan (Fig. K) 
They measured 24 X 18 and 23 X 17.5 mm and 
weighed 3.6 and 3.5 g. respectively. Both eggs 
hatched on 17 October. 
Incubation. —A HOBO temperature logger was 
placed in the nest on 12 October. The logger 
recorded temperature, once every minute, in the 
nest lining below the eggs and simultaneously in ;• 
protected location within the epiphytes 1 m below 
the nest. We used the relative differences >n 
temperature between these readings to record adult 
presence or absence from the nest. The nest wa* 
filmed most days from 15 October to 3 November 
w ith u tripod-mounted digital video camera placed 
15 nr from the nest. We used video records ol 
adult presence to help interpret changes in nest 
temperature and to identify daily incubation 
rhythms. Mean daily attendance was 69 ± 5 r r l ' ! 
daylight hours during the final 6 days of incubation 
(including day of hatching). Mean periods o! udu t 
absence during the entire observation period were 
18 ± 9 min (n = 58). while mean periods of 
attendance were 41 ±31 min (n = 53). 
Nestlings. —We examined the nestlings oil 
October, the day of hatching. They had yellow 
pink skin, were blind and mainly naked but with 
quite dense, fawn-colored natal down ~10 mm 
