Gray-streaked Flycatcher

Muscicapa griseistictaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: GSFL Scientific Name: MUSGRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178665

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Overview

Gray-streaked Flycatcher: Small flycatcher with gray-brown upperparts and dark streaked white underparts. Tail is short and notched; wings are gray-brown with faint white wing bar. Undertail coverts are white. Face shows white eye-ring and distinct brown malar mark; throat is white. Bill is black.

Range and Habitat

Gray-streaked Flycatcher: This Old World flycatcher makes its rare appearances on the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is also found on Kamchatka Islands and in Siberia. Gray-streaked Flycatcher frequents coniferous and mixed woodlands. For nesting prefers woodland edges in plains and low hills.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Voice Text

"speet-teet-teet"

Interesting Facts

The Gray-streaked Flycatcher is also known as the Spot-breasted or the Gray-spotted Flycatcher.

This species was first described by the English naturalist Robert Swinhoe in 1861.

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

Bird Term Glossary

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Gray-streaked Flycatcher

● Song: "speet-teet-teet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Gray-streaked Flycatcher: This bird feeds primarily on insects. It often perches on tree branches from which it sallies forth to hawk insects in flight. Then it returns to the same perch or to the one nearby.

● Breeding & nesting: Gray-streaked Flycatcher: Four to five olive gray eggs are laid in a tree cavity or crevice where nest is built from grasses, twigs, and lichens; lined with hair and small feathers. Both sexes build the nest but female does the majority of work. Incubation ranges from 11 to 15 days and is carried out by the female. Young stay in nest for 12-14 days while they are being fed by both sexes. These birds have one to two broods per year.

● Similar species: Gray-streaked Flycatcher: This bird appears very similar in the field to Siberian and Asian Brown Flycatchers. Siberian is smaller and lacks heavy streaking on underparts; centers of its undertails coverts are dark brown. Asian Brown Flycatcher is also smaller but has a larger bill with flesh-colored base to the lower mandible. Its underparts are paler and lack streaking.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flight with shallow wing beats., Sallies out to snatch insects in flight.

Gray-streaked Flycatcher Body illustration

● Range & Habitat: Gray-streaked Flycatcher: This Old World flycatcher makes its rare appearances on the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is also found on Kamchatka Islands and in Siberia. Gray-streaked Flycatcher frequents coniferous and mixed woodlands. For nesting prefers woodland edges in plains and low hills.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationRare to casual

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America