Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Great Crested Flycatcher

By: Tom Berg

There are more than 400 species of flycatcher birds in the world today, with most of them being found in Central and South America.  But there are plenty of flycatchers in North America, too, since we have about 35 species occurring here.  They are mostly insect-eaters, and all of them are more than agile enough to catch the insects “on the wing” while they are flying.

Flycatchers are not only swift and nimble, they are interesting birds, too.  One such flycatcher is the beautiful Great Crested Flycatcher.  This bird is slightly smaller than an American Robin, but is a little larger than most other flycatchers.  It is reddish-brown on its back, wings and tail, and has a gray throat and neck.  Its belly is a bright yellow color, and it has a distinct feathered crest on top of its head that it can raise and lower depending on its mood.  Some flycatchers are difficult to identify because of their drab colors, but the great crested flycatcher is easy to recognize with its yellow belly and reddish-brown wings and tail.

As the name implies, great crested flycatchers specialize in catching flying insects to eat.  They are experts at catching winged bugs like moths, butterflies, flies, dragonflies, bees and even wasps.  They prefer to find a perch high in the trees to watch for flying insects, and then fly out and snatch them from mid-air.  They will also fly down to the ground to grab insects like beetles, ants and grasshoppers off of the ground or from leaves or plant stalks.

Great crested flycatchers usually nest in tree cavities, whether they are natural cavities or holes excavated by woodpeckers or other birds.  They are also happy to use nest boxes fabricated by people.  The female fills the nest cavity with leaves, grass, small twigs, feathers and even fur plucked from animals (or found on the ground) to make and line the nest.  She usually lays 4-8 eggs in the nest and incubates them for about two weeks.

When the baby flycatchers hatch they are naked and helpless, but they soon grow a soft coat of downy gray feathers.  They grow fast, and in another two weeks they fledge and are ready to leave the nest!

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