Home > European Pied Flycatcher
The Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia. It is migratory, wintering mainly in western Africa.
This is a 12-13.5 cm long bird. The breeding male is mainly black above and white below, with a large white wing patch, white tail sides and a small forehead patch. The African race, Ficedula hypoleuca speculigera, and Ficedula hypoleuca iberiae of central Spain have a larger forehead patch and a pale rump. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have the black replaced by a pale brown, and may be very difficult to distinguish from other Ficedula flycatchers.
The bill is black, and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. As well as taking insects in flight, this species hunts caterpillarThis article is about insect larvae. For the company, see Caterpillar Inc. for the vehicle locomotion system, see caterpillar track. A caterpillar is the larval form of a lepidopteran (a member of the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). Caterps amongst the oak foliage, and will take berries. It is therefore a much earlier spring migrant than the more aerial Spotted FlycatcherSpotted Flycatcher : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Muscicapidae Muscicapa Species striata Binomial name Muscicapa striata Pallas, 1764) The Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family., and its loud rhythmic and melodious song is characteristic of oak woods in spring.
They are birds of deciduous woodlands, parks and gardens, with a preference for oakThis article is about oak trees and shrubs. OAK is also the three-letter IATA airport code for Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California USA. See also Oak, Nebraska, USA. See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the commo trees. They build an open nest in a tree hole, and will readily adapt to an open-fronted nest box. 4-10 eggs are laid.
The very similar Atlas Flycatcher, Ficedula speculigera, of the mountains of north west Africa was formerly classed as subspecies of Pied.
