Brown-crested Flycatcher

The Brown-crested Flycatcher is a big, big-billed member of the genus Myiarchus, the group of crested, cavity-nesting flycatchers found across the Americas. It is brownish-olive above with a bushy, somewhat disheveled crest, a gray throat and breast, and a pale yellow belly. Rufous coloring shows in the wings and, especially, the tail—most visible when the bird flies or spreads its tail.

In the US Southwest it is closely tied to saguaro cactus deserts and cottonwood-lined washes, where old woodpecker holes provide nest cavities.

Key field marks

• Large size and heavy bill for a Myiarchus flycatcher
• Bushy, ragged crest
• Gray throat/breast grading to pale yellow belly
• Rufous edging in wings and tail

Similar species

• Ash-throated Flycatcher: smaller, paler overall, with a thinner bill and paler yellow belly; the two overlap in range but Ash-throated favors drier, more open desert scrub.
• Great Crested Flycatcher: more richly colored (brighter yellow belly, more rufous tail), found in the eastern US, ranges barely overlap.
• Dusky-capped Flycatcher: smaller, dark cap, softer whistled call.

Range and habitat

Brown-crested Flycatcher breeds in the southwestern US (Arizona, southern Texas, southeastern California, southern New Mexico) and south through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America. In the desert Southwest it is strongly associated with saguaro cactus and mesquite/cottonwood washes; elsewhere it uses a variety of tropical and subtropical woodlands.

Migration

US and northern Mexican breeders migrate south for the winter, while populations farther south in the range are largely resident.

Behavior

A cavity nester, it typically uses old woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti or trees, and will also use nest boxes. It perches upright and sallies out to catch insects, sometimes hovering to glean prey from foliage.

Voice

A rolling, whistled "whit-will-do" or a sharp "whrrk" call; more musical than the harsher notes of Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Feeding

Mostly large flying and crawling insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, and cicadas; occasionally takes small lizards, and eats some fruit outside the breeding season.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes, lined with grass, feathers, and often bits of shed snakeskin or plastic. The female incubates 3-5 eggs for about 2 weeks.