Brown-crested Flycatcher

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iBrown-crested Flycatcher
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Myiarchus
Species: M. tyrannulus
Binomial name
Myiarchus tyrannulus
(Muller, 1776)

The Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in open woodland from southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern Texas southward to Argentina and Bolivia, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It is resident in most of its range, but American breeders retreat to Mexico or southern Florida in winter.

The nest is built in a tree cavity or similar natural or man-made hole, and the normal clutch is two or three purple-marked cream eggs.

Adult Brown-crested Flycatchers are 20.3cm long and weigh 30g, and have heavy bills. The upperparts are olive brown, with a darker head and short crest. The breast is grey and the belly is lemon yellow. The brown tail feathers and wings have rufous outer webs, and there are two dull wing bars. The sexes are similar.

The Brown-crested Flycatcher is best separated from other confusingly similar Myiarchus species by its call, a rough loud come HERE, come HERE or whit-will-do, whit-will-do.

This species is a rather skulking insectivore which catches its prey by flycatching amongst the undergrowth.

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