The Red Breasted Flycatcher, Female
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@ Bhigwan, Pune Dist
Maharashtra, India
11 Jan 2022
Description Credit – Birds of the World (The Cornnel Lab) & Wikipedia
The Red Breasted Flycatcher is a distinctive, small flycatcher that breeds in eastern Europe and across Central Asia and is migratory, wintering in South Asia. The scientific name Ficedula parva, tells us that it is a small (parva) fig-eating bird (Ficedula).
This small passerine bird is 11 to 12 cm long, small flycatcher. The breeding Male has forehead, crown and hindneck brown, tinged grey, lores, ear-coverts and neck-side ashy grey, narrow eyering off-white; upperparts, including upperwing, brown, flight-feathers and upperwing-coverts narrowly edged paler brown, uppertail-coverts blackish brown, tipped grey-brown; tail blackish brown, T3 with middle third of outer web white (often extending to middle of inner web), outer three feather pairs (T4–T6) with basal two-thirds of both webs white; chin, throat and breast orange-red (becoming brighter with age); side of upper breast grey, rest of underparts white, tinged creamy buff on flanks and side of lower breast, thighs pale brownish; axillaries and underwing-coverts creamy buff; iris brown; maxilla blackish horn, mandible yellowish to deep flesh-pink, variably dark towards tip; legs dark brown.
Non-breeding male has less extensive orange-red on chin and throat, and flanks more buffish. It is often very difficult to tell males from females for up to the first three years, as the males only develop the red colour on their throat and breast in their second or third year.
The Females on the other hand has forehead, crown and hindneck brown (with no grey tinge), lores buffish white, ear-coverts pale brown, narrow eyering buffish, upperparts and upperwing as male, with blackish uppertail-coverts, chin, throat, breast side and flanks creamy buff, rest of underparts white. However, both sexes have white sides to the long blackish tail, which they often cock while perched. Another characteristic feature in this bird, is that its wing-tips are downward drooping while it is perched.
The Red Breasted Flycatcher breeds in forest and woodland, mainly mixed deciduous forest. Prefers tall trees with much undergrowth, light canopy, and an open zone with perching twigs between canopy and undergrowth layer; favours glades, clearings and areas near water. Also occurs in orchards and vineyards. Long-distance migrant. Most individuals migrate SE to non-breeding grounds in Pakistan and India. Migrates alone or in small flocks. Departure from Europe begins late Jul, is most pronounced Aug to mid Sept, continuing to early Oct. They arrive in Pakistan, India and rest of winter quarters from late Aug to Nov, mainly Sept–Oct. Return passage begins mid Mar, peak in Apr and continuing into May; arrivals in Caucasus from early Mar.
The Red Breasted Flycatcher eats mainly insects and other invertebrates, especially beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae), but also dragonflies and damselflies. Usually solitary; often skulks in canopy or in bushes. Hunts mainly from middle to lower layers, hopping and creeping among foliage. Makes short, looping sallies to catch prey in the air, with agile flight and rapid wingbeats; frequently forages from the ground, including among grass. In damp places, takes aquatic invertebrates, such as larval water beetles.
Their song is a melodious, resonant and loud, characterized by whistling notes on descending scale, notes variously rendered “tui”, “dlu”, “didle”, “diu-tvi-diu-tvi”. The song often preceded by “zit” calls. Call a thin, high-pitched, short “dzik” or “zit”, sometimes protracted into loose ticking “tk tk tk…” series; also rattling “zrrrt” of alarm and plaintive “hveet”.