Great Crested Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) is a large insect
-eating bird
of the tyrant flycatcher
family. It is the most widespread member of the genus
, Myiarchus, in North America
and is found over most of the eastern and mid-western portions of the continent. It dwells mostly in the treetops and rarely found on the ground.
Adult Great Crested Flycatchers usually measure between 17–21 cm (7–8 in) in length with a wingspan of around 34 cm (13 in). This bird usually weighs between 27–40 g (0.95–1.41 ounces).
The Great Crested Flycatcher does not display sexual dimorphism
. Adults are brownish on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have a long rusty brown tail and a bushy crest. Their throat and breast are grey.
Their breeding habitat is deciduous
or mixed forests across eastern North America
. They nest in a cavity in a tree. A snake
skin is usually included in the lining of the nest; sometimes a plastic wrapper is substituted.
These birds migrate
to Mexico
and South America
, also Florida
and Cuba
.
They wait on a high perch and fly out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering to pick food off vegetation. They also eat fruit
s and berries
.
This bird's call is a whistled weep.
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-eating bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the tyrant flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
family. It is the most widespread member of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Myiarchus, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and is found over most of the eastern and mid-western portions of the continent. It dwells mostly in the treetops and rarely found on the ground.
Description
The Great Crested Flycatcher does not display sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. Adults are brownish on the upperparts with yellow underparts; they have a long rusty brown tail and a bushy crest. Their throat and breast are grey.
Their breeding habitat is deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
or mixed forests across eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. They nest in a cavity in a tree. A snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
skin is usually included in the lining of the nest; sometimes a plastic wrapper is substituted.
These birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, also Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
They wait on a high perch and fly out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering to pick food off vegetation. They also eat fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
.
This bird's call is a whistled weep.
External links
- Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Great Crested Flycatcher Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Great Crested Flycatcher Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Stamps Canada
- Great Crested Flycatcher videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Great Crested Flycatcher photo gallery VIREO
- Great Crested Flycatcher, Talk about Wildlife
- Great Crested Flycatcher, Birds of Nova Scotia
- Great Crested Flycatcher sounds on xeno-canto.org