Snethlage's Tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus minor)

Snethlage's Tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus minor)

Carajás, Pará, Brazil
October 2005

Snethlage's Tody-tyrant is distributed in the central and southern parts of the Amazon Basin where it is found in vine tangles at the edges of humid forest. This bird was seen at the side of a wide track in Carajás.

We had some considerable debate about the identity of this bird largely because it didn't sing but only gave short pic notes which, although sounding like the nominate race of Snethlage's Tody-tyrant, were virtually the same as many other similar species. The debate centred round it being either Snethlage's Tody-tyrant or an immature Helmeted Pygmy-tyrant Lophotriccus galeatus with a poorly developed crest.

We decided it was Snethlage's Tody-tyrant because this also has longish crown feathers and you can just about make out the broad nostril holes that are typical of the species. Note also the buffy cream eye and the relatively short tail.

It is named after Emilie Snethlage (1868 - 1929) a German who spent the last 24 years of her life in the Amazon including a spell from 1914 to 1922 as the Director of the Goeldi Museum in Belém. She is one of my all-time heroines not only because of her achievements as an ornithologist but also for her intrepid approach to all those trips into the Amazon forest. When the middle finger of her right hand was partially eaten by piranhas she amputated it herself.

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