On the way to the Itatiaia park entrance, towards Agulhas Negras, you’ll find the only sturdy man-made construction – a bridge painted in white. From here you have great views of the montane forest, the land below and the shrubs and small trees in the gully below in particular.
During my brief stay here I encountered many bird species I didn’t see during my 4 days at Hotel do Ype, one being this blue-billed black tyrant.
Looks very similar to the velvety-black tyrant, and they are both found at this altitude. The physical difference is that blue-billed has bright red iris versus the dark red iris in velvety. Habitat-wise the velvety seems bound to shrubby, grassy and rocky areas, which it is at the park entrance and along the road to the camping site and dam (elevation is around 2400 metres). I walked there 2 days in a row, but did not encounter it there.
Altitude: 2146 metres.
Thanks to Roman for species comparinson.
It sounds like this:
Last updated on 7 December 2020
