Dark-sided Flycatcher

Muscicapa sibiricaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Codes: Common Name: DSFL Scientific Name: MUSSIB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178666

Breeding Location:

Forest

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Casual to accidental

Egg Color:

Green with red brown spots

Number of Eggs:

4 - 5

Incubation Days:

11 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lichen., Lined with larch needles.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Small flycatcher with dark gray-brown upperparts and white underparts with dark gray-brown wash on sides and flanks. Long gray brown wings have an indistinct pale wing bar. Contrastig white throat with indistinct malar mark extends to the sides forming a partial dull white collar; eye-ring is white, supraloral spot is brown. Wide flat bill is short and dark. Short tail is dark gray brown. Shows dark centers on undertail coverts in flight.

Range and Habitat

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Native of Siberia, this bird breeds and nests in the evergreen forests of Asia. Dark-sided Flycatcher can be found almost everywhere in Europe and Asia to the northern parts of India. Winters in Africa. Occasionally it has been observed in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Inhabits mixed conifer woodlands on plains and hills.

Breeding and Nesting

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Four to five green eggs with red brown spots are laid in a cup nest made of lichen and lined with larch needles. Nest is built by the female and placed on a tree branch or set in fork of a tree. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female. Young are fed by both sexes. These birds have one brood per year.

Foraging and Feeding

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Feeds mostly on insects. Perches on an open exposed tree branch perch, immobile and erect, until it spots prey; then flies out to catch it in flight and returns to its perch to eat. Sometimes flicks its wings while hunting.

Vocalization

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Song is a high-pitched series of "tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi." Sings from tree branches and constantly flicks its wings while singing. Call is a gentle "chirrring."

Similar Species

Sibirean Flycatcher: Very similar to Gray-streaked Flycatcher, which is larger but has a smaller head with white streaks on forehead and heavy brown streaking on white underparts. In the field Dark-sided Flycatcher can also be confused with Asian Brown Flycatcher, which has larger bill with pink base to lower mandible, paler supraloral area, shorter wings, paler upperparts, and unmarked undertail coverts.

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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.

Dark-sided Flycatcher

Dark-sided Flycatcher: Small gray-brown flycatcher with white underparts and gray-brown wash on sides and flanks. Long gray-brown wings have a pale wing bar. White throat with malar mark extends to the sides forming a partial white collar; white eye-ring. Short, dark bill. Dark gray-brown tail.

● Song: "tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi"

● Foraging & Feeding: Dark-sided Flycatcher: Feeds mostly on insects. Perches on an open exposed tree branch perch, immobile and erect, until it spots prey; then flies out to catch it in flight and returns to its perch to eat. Sometimes flicks its wings while hunting.

● Breeding & nesting: Dark-sided Flycatcher: Four to five green eggs with red brown spots are laid in a cup nest made of lichen and lined with larch needles. Nest is built by the female and placed on a tree branch or set in fork of a tree. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female. Young are fed by both sexes. These birds have one brood per year.

● Similar species: Sibirean Flycatcher: Very similar to Gray-streaked Flycatcher, which is larger but has a smaller head with white streaks on forehead and heavy brown streaking on white underparts. In the field Dark-sided Flycatcher can also be confused with Asian Brown Flycatcher, which has larger bill with pink base to lower mandible, paler supraloral area, shorter wings, paler upperparts, and unmarked undertail coverts.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering direct flight with somewhat shallow wing beats., Leaves perch to snatch insects in air and returns.

● Range & Habitat: Dark-sided Flycatcher: Native of Siberia, this bird breeds and nests in the evergreen forests of Asia. Dark-sided Flycatcher can be found almost everywhere in Europe and Asia to the northern parts of India. Winters in Africa. Occasionally it has been observed in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Inhabits mixed conifer woodlands on plains and hills.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationCasual to accidental

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.4 Ounces

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.

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