Red-breasted Flycatcher
Ficedula parva
Distinctive, small flycatcher. Males have a rusty-orange throat that continues onto the breast. All plumages have a distinctive tail pattern with black terminal bar and white sides. Wings relatively plain and white eyering noticeable. When perched, tail is often held cocked with wingtips drooping. Compare with the very similar Taiga Flycatcher; note the more extensive orange throat in breeding male, warmer overall coloration, and more extensive pale pinkish on the bill base. Breeds in mature deciduous mixed forest, winters in forest, woodland and parks. Song is a series of bland and repetitive but sweet whistles, often with a few fuzzy notes as an intro. Often detected by a rattling "zrrrt" call, slower than that of Taiga Flycatcher.
Identification
The red-breasted flycatcher (Ficedula parva) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in eastern Europe and across Central Asia and is migratory, wintering in south Asia. The breeding male is mainly muted brown above and white below, with a grey head and an orange throat. Females and immatures are similarly colored but lack the orange throat patch. The red-breasted flycatcher is a regular passage migrant in western Europe, whereas the collared flycatcher, which has a different migration route (wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa), is scarce. It forms a superspecies with the closely related taiga flycatcher and Kashmir flycatcher and can be distinguished from the former by its different song, warmer-toned plumage and the more extensive orange throat patch.
Taxonomy
Genus: Ficedula; Family: Muscicapidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Ficedula parva
- Authority
- (Bechstein, 1792)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Ficedula
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL : c, n Europe to w Russia and Iran. Non-breeding range: Pakistan and India.
- Breeding range
- PAL : c, n Europe to w Russia and Iran
- Non-breeding range
- Pakistan and India
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Rather plain thrush with a rufous tail, brown back, buffy throat, and red eye. Found in woodland and thickets, usually in areas with palms. The pretty song is a variable mix of whistles and scratchy notes, and sometimes incorporates mimicry of other bird species. Somewhat similar to Familiar Chat, but easily separated by its larger size, red eyes, and lack of a black “T” pattern on the tail.
Golden Vireo
Vireo hypochryseus
Small, rather chunky but long-tailed bird of tropical forest and woodland in lowlands and foothills; endemic to western Mexico. Feeds at all levels, often at fruiting trees and bushes with other vireos and fruit-eating birds. Like most vireos, generally rather sluggish. Bright yellow-and-greenish plumage, plus cocked tail, strongly suggest smaller and more lightly built Wilson’s Warbler, but note the vireo’s broad pale eyebrow, stouter bill, and stronger blue-gray legs.
Varied Honeyeater
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Medium-sized honeyeater typically found in mangroves and adjacent coastal habitats. Back is brown-green; underparts are pale yellow with gray streaking. Black bill, yellow throat, and black patches over the eye. Much yellower than Mangrove Honeyeater. Often found in groups, in which it is typically quite noisy. Has a wide range of calls.
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