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Bird name:

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Codes: Common Name: BCFL Scientific Name: MYITYR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178312
Least Concern
 
Brown-crested Flycatcher
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Brown-crested Flycatcher: Medium-sized flycatcher with olive-brown upperparts, yellow underparts, and pale gray throat. Bill is long, stout, and solid black. Wings have rufous patches. Tail is long and rufous. Legs and feet are black. Direct flight with rapid wing beats. Hovers and dips for prey.

Range and Habitat

Brown-crested Flycatcher: Breeds from southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern Texas southward. Spends winters mainly south of the U.S.-Mexico border; few winter in southern Florida. Preferred habitats include arid lands in areas with cacti or large trees.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"come HERE- come HERE", " whit-will-do, whit-will-do", "wit"

Interesting Facts

 The Brown-crested Flycatcher’s former name, "Wied's Crested Flycatcher," was in honor of Prince Maximilian of Wied, a German naturalist and traveler in early-19th-century America.

 Cicadas are an important food item, but they prefer the silent, egg-laden females. Male cicadas let loose with a tirade of buzzing when caught and the flycatchers often release them in response.

 They are about 10% larger than the Ash-throated Flycatcher in most dimensions, but their bill is larger by 25%, with a more prominent hook.

 A group of flycatchers has many collective nouns, including an "outfield", "swatting", "zapper", and "zipper" of flycatchers.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Kavita Jhunjhunwala

Splitbar
Range Map for Brown-crested Flycatcher

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Family Flycatcher (Tyrannidae)_blue
Species Myiarchus tyrannulus
Length8.75 Inches
Wingspan13 Inches

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Brown-crested Flycatcher: Medium-sized flycatcher with olive-brown upperparts, yellow underparts, and pale gray throat. Bill is long, stout, and solid black. Wings have rufous patches. Tail is long and rufous. Legs and feet are black. Direct flight with rapid wing beats. Hovers and dips for prey.

● Song: "come HERE- come HERE", " whit-will-do, whit-will-do", "wit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Brown-crested Flycatcher: Feeds on insects, berries, and other fruits; has been observed eating hummingbirds.

● Breeding & nesting: Brown-crested Flycatcher: Three to six white to buff eggs with brown and lavender blotches are laid in a nest lined with feathers, fibers, and hairs, and built in a tree cavity, cactus, or on a fence post. Incubation ranges from 13 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Brown-crested Flycatcher: Great Crested has darker gray throat and breast and rust-brown tail. Ash-throated has paler yellow underparts and rust-brown tail.

Flight Pattern

Buoyant flight with steady fast wing beats.
Brown-crested Flycatcher Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Brown-crested Flycatcher: Breeds from southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern Texas southward. Spends winters mainly south of the U.S.-Mexico border; few winter in southern Florida. Preferred habitats include arid lands in areas with cacti or large trees.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.5 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX