Like its name suggests, Chapin’s flycatcher feeds on insects. In pairs, or in groups of three or four, it can be found in flocks with other species, searching for food. It keeps primarily to bare or nearly leafless branches in the canopy of the forest (2).
Chapins’ flycatchers are known to breed from March to September, and possibly also in January and February. One nest has been discovered that is believed to belong to this flycatcher; it was a bulky, deep cup made of vegetation and feathers, ten centimetres across and 7.5 centimetres deep. It was situated in a fork of a dead liana hanging against the trunk of small tree (2).