Observations of a Transequatorial Migrant, Tyrannus savana Vieillot 1808 (Fork-tailed Flycatcher), in an Urban Setting on a Tropical Island

Abstract

Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana, Vieillot 1808) is an easily recognized, widespread inhabitant of grassland and open terrain throughout its extensive range from southern Mexico south to Argentina. In the Caribbean, although sightings are fluid and can increase daily on some islands, especially those close to source continents and during peak migration, its numbers have continued to increase over a 19-yr period in the Caribbean Basin (2002–2021). We report a 2018 sighting of a vagrant Forktailed Flycatcher in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo. Our recent observations of this vagrant attest to the important natural and anthropogenic regulatory ecosystem services provided by migratory species in general. These include the potential control of arthropod plagues and disease vectors, as well as supportive services such as pollination and seed dispersal. Conversely, the city of Santo Domingo provides reciprocal ecological services to resident and migratory birds alike.

Citation

Wayne J. Arendt, Marvin A. Tórrez, María M. Paulino, and Luis R. Paulino. 2022. Observations of a Transequatorial Migrant, Tyrannus savana Vieillot 1808 (Fork-tailed Flycatcher), in an Urban Setting on a Tropical Island. Urban Naturalist Notes. 9(5).