How to Identify aVermilion Flycatcher
Pyrocephalus obscurus · 5.1–5.5 in (13–14 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Brilliant scarlet crown and underparts with a dark brown mask, back, wings and tail.
Female
Gray-brown above and white below with fine streaking, and a peachy or pale salmon wash on the lower belly.
Male photo: Henry / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Second photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- Blazing red crown and underparts on the male
- Dark brown mask through the eye
- Small, upright, with a slightly peaked crown
- Female peach-washed on the vent
Similar species
What it sounds like
A soft, tinkling "pit-a-see" repeated during a fluttering display flight.
Behaviour that gives it away
The male display-flies high above his territory, fluttering with his crown raised and singing before parachuting down.
Habitat & range
Desert streams, ponds, ranch ponds, golf courses and open scrub in the Southwest.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in southwestern and western North America you are, it is present all year and a summer visitor that arrives to breed.
What it eats
Flying insects taken on sallies from a low perch.
Did you know?
The male performs a fluttering display flight high over his territory, then parachutes down with his red crown raised.
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