Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher
Adult Great Crested Flycatchers have a bushy crest and dark, olive underparts. The throat, breast, and flanks are gray; the belly and undertail are bright yellow; and the tail is rusty. There is an olive band on the upper breast. Juveniles look essentially like the adults, but the colors are somewhat muted.

This species of flycatcher breeds east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and in some southern portions of Canada. Great Crested Flycatchers inhabit mature deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, preferring to nest in the clearings and edges of wooded areas, orchards, parks, swamps, and cultivated areas scattered with trees.

Feeding high in the canopy, this species "hawks" not only flies, but also beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers, crickets, bees, and katydids. Great Crested Flycatchers also glean insects from tree bark and feed on small fruits as well.

There is no information on pair formation in this species. Great Crested Flycatchers exhibit site fidelity, and tend to nest in the same site year after year. Pairs defend their territories against other species that might prey upon or harass their young, such as woodpeckers and squirrels.

Great Crested Flycatcher Range Map

The breeding season may begin anywhere from mid-March to mid-June, depending upon the latitude. Often competing with European Starlings for nest sites, Great Crested Flycatchers nest in deep, natural tree cavities, deserted woodpecker holes, and nest boxes. They occasionally nest in unique places, such as gutters, pipes, and tin cans. Nest are found in a variety of tree species from 3 to 70 feet above the ground, although most are below 20 feet. Both sexes build the nest, a process that can take up to two weeks. They build a bulky nest and, therefore, prefer deep cavities. The pair generally fills the nest cavity with twigs, leaves, pine needles, bark, moss, and rootlets to a level 12 to 18 inches from the top. Off to one side within the cavity, they form a cup and line it with soft materials like hair, feathers, and fur. Often, a piece of snake skin or cellophane can be found either in the nest or conspicuously displayed outside the cavity. This has led to the common belief that the snake skin is used to frighten away predators.

The female typically lays four to six eggs in a clutch. These moderately glossy eggs vary from yellow white to buff to cream in color. They are densely streaked, scrawled, and blotched with red, purple, brown, and olive markings, which tend to be more concentrated at the larger end of the egg.

The female incubates the eggs for a period of 13 to 15 days.

Both adults tend the young. The nestlings generally fledge after 14 to 21 days but tend to stay in the nest longer when food resources are poor.

Great Crested Flycatchers produce a single brood per season, but they will produce replacement clutches if the first clutch fails. It is not known whether pairs reuse a nest location within a season. Nevertheless, pairs exhibit extreme site fidelity and return to the same nest site season after season.

In winter, Great Crested Flycatchers migrate to Central America. Whether and when these flycatchers form flocks is unknown. Information on juvenile dispersal in this species is lacking.

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