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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 124, No. 1, March 2012 
nestling/hr (n = 136 trips in 14.2 hrs). The parents 
delivered 415 food items during 59 hours of 
filming, across the entire observation period. 
DISCUSSION 
The breeding biology of Myiotheretes bush 
tyrants is poorly known. There is only one 
species. Streak-throated Bush Tyrant (M. striati- 
collis), for which the nest is described as “a 
messy cup under bridge or overhanging structure" 
(Fitzpatrick 2004: 389). The breeding period of 
this species was in January-June in Colombia and 
nestlings were reported in early March in 
Venezuela (Fitzpatrick 2004). 
Some details of breeding biology of the Rufous- 
webbed Bush Tyrant (Polioxohnis rufipennis) are 
known, a species now placed in a separate genus 
but which is closely related to Myiotheretes 
(OhIson et al. 2008. Tcllo et al. 2009). Vuilleumier 
(1994) originally described the nest as belonging to 
Myiotheretes rufipennis. The two described nests 
of this species were at elevations -4,000 m asl in 
northern Peru. Both were in open areas near the lop 
of the giant bromeliad (Puya raimondii ) (Brome- 
liaceae), 2.5-2.8 m above the ground. These nests 
were open cups made of twigs and grass stems, and 
lined predominantly with pieces of Puya seed 
down and a few feathers ( Vuilleumier 1994: 4-5). 
The nest of the Smoky Bush Tyrant was in similar 
open habitat, at a similar height above the ground, 
and was similarly constructed. The nest, however, 
was better concealed among epiphytes. Fjeldsa 
(1990: 27) described the nest of the Rufous-webbed 
Bush Tyrant as "a rather flimsy and open cup of 
stalks and thin twigs placed just below the top of 
5 m tall Polylepis tree overhanging a stream”. It 
remains to be learned how much variability of nest 
placement and structure occurs within this group of 
species. Both nests of the Rufous-webbed Bush 
Tyrant in Peru were found in late October, when 
young were neatly ready to fledge (Vuilleumier 
1994). Thus, the nest we observed agrees more 
with an October-November breeding season for 
the Rufous-webbed Bush Tyrant than for the 
Streak-throated Bush Tyrant breeding from Janu¬ 
ary to June. Nesting during the drier months in our 
™ me oreeamg cycles of most hi 
Andean species in eastern Ecuador (Greeney ei 
^UII) and With most tyrannids at our study 
(e.g Greeney et al. 2005, Greeney 2007) 7 
melees Other species nesting in similar habi 
^smoke-colored Pewee (Omopusfumigm 
(Dyrcz and Greeney 2010); Pale-edged Flycaici 
(Dyrcz and Greeney 2011); and Cinnamon Fly¬ 
catcher ( Pyrrhomyias cinnamotneus) (H I 
Greeney, unpubl. data). 
The described eggs correspond well to nnw 
fluvicoline flycatchers which have white eggs 
with scattered, small reddish to blackish spots 
(Sehonwetter 1971). Allocation of the natal down 
of young seems to be typical as for some other 
open cup nesting tyrannids (Wetherbce 1957. 
Collins and Keane 1991). 
The presence of a third adult which remained m 
close association with the breeding pair, through¬ 
out the entire nesting period is of interest. Mostoi 
our observations were through a camera, and -u- 
could not tell the birds apart. Thus, it cannot be 
excluded that eggs were incubated by the third bird, 
which would suggest helpers at the nest. Fitzpatrick 
(2004) reported that juveniles of tyrant flycatcher.' 
stay for many months with their parents. He 
mentions only one example, a Cliff Flycatcher 
(Hirundinea ferruginea ), where three birds were 
observed attending a single nest in Argentina More 
recently, Dyrcz and Greeney (2011) observed 
fledgling Pale-edged Flycatchers remaining with 
their parents for >3 months at our study site. This 
is one of the least-studied aspects of parental care 
for tropical tyrannids, and it is unknown if long 
post-fledging dependency periods are normal. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We thank both reviewers and the editor tor stimulating 
remarks which helped us improve this manuscript. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Collins. C. T. and K. Klane. 1991. Natal pierylosu a 
phoebes. Wilson Bulletin 103:300-303. 
Dyrcz. A. and H. F. Greeney. 2010. Breeding ecology 
the Smoke-colored Pewee (Cant opus hmupano 1 
northeastern Ecuador. Omitologia Neotropic- 1 
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Dyrcz. A. and H. F. Greeney. 2011. Breeding biolop yi 
Pale-edged Flycatcher (Myiarchus ccphaloiesi in "" r v 
eastern Ecuador. Ornitologia Colonibiana 11: In pit" 
Fitzpatrick. J. W. 2004. Family Tyrannidae iTvrjm 
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