Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 6.7–8.3 in
17–21 cm - Wingspan
- 13.4 in
34 cm - Weight
- 1–1.4 oz
27–40 g
Other Names
- Tyran huppé (French)
- Papamoscas viajero, Copetón viajero (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Many, but not all, Great Crested Flycatcher nests contain shed snakeskin. Other crinkly materials, such as plastic wrappers, cellophane, and onion skin, may be used.
- The Great Crested Flycatcher is a bird of the treetops. It spends very little time on the ground, and does not hop or walk. It prefers to fly from place to place on the ground rather than walk.
- The Great Crested Flycatcher makes the same "wee-eep" calls on the wintering grounds that it makes in summer.
Habitat
Open Woodland
- Breeds in open deciduous woodlands, old orchards, riparian corridors, wooded swamps, parks, cemeteries, and urban areas with large shade trees.
- Winters in humid forests and second growth.
Food
Insects
Insects, other invertebrates, some small fruits.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 4–8 eggs
- Egg Description
- Creamy white to pinkish with uniformly distributed streaks and blotches.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with some down.
Nest Description
Nests in cavities, typically filled with trash and nest placed on top. Nest made of leaves, hair, feathers, rootlets, string, trash, small twigs, bark, paper, and shed snakeskin. Will use nestbox.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Behavior
Flycatching
Sallies out from perches after flying insects, hovers to glean insects off leaves, and drops down from perch to take prey on ground. Hunts primarily in top of canopy.
Conservation
Least Concern
No long-term changes in populations evident.
Credits
- Lanyon, W. E. 1997. Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus). In The Birds of North America, No. 300 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.