Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A treetop hunter of deciduous forests and suburban areas, the Great Crested Flycatcher is easier to hear than to see. The only eastern flycatcher that nests in cavities, it often includes snakeskin in the nest lining.

Description

• Medium-sized songbird; large flycatcher.
• Bright yellow belly.
• Cinnamon rufous in wings and tail.
• Wingbars.

• Size: 17-21 cm (7-8 in)
• Wingspan: 34 cm (13 in)
• Weight: 27-40 g (0.95-1.41 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage; male slightly larger.

Sound

Call a strong rising "wee-eep." Also a noisy grating call.

Conservation Status

No long-term changes in populations evident.

Other Names

Tyran huppé (French)
Papamoscas viajero, Copetón viajero (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Many, but not all, Great Crested Flycatcher nests contain shed snakeskin. Other crinkly materials, such as plastic wrappers, cellophane, and onion skin, may be used.

• The Great Crested Flycatcher is a bird of the treetops. It spends very little time on the ground, and does not hop or walk. It prefers to fly from place to place on the ground rather than walk.

• The Great Crested Flycatcher makes the same "wee-eep" calls on the wintering grounds that it makes in summer.

Sources used to construct this page:

Lanyon, W. E. 1997. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus). In The Birds of North America, No. 300 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.