Identification
A tiny easily-overlooked bird of forest understory. Plumage is mostly rufous, somewhat paler on belly, with a grayish head and a yellow crown patch that is not usually visible under field conditions. Note large-eyed appearance. Found in a variety of forest types, where it is an uncommon and poorly known resident of lower and middle levels; may be somewhat more common in areas with sandy soils. Feeds on insects and fruit taken in short sallies; sometimes found with understory mixed-species flocks. Strikingly similar to more common Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher but somewhat bulkier with distinctive large-eyed look; at close range, note blue-gray legs. Most readily detected by voice: call is a high, slurred note with a squeezed quality, given at fairly long intervals and often preceding the song, which is a distinctive, descending series of piping notes that carries surprisingly far and may be mistaken for a leaftosser at a distance.