Great Crested Flycatcher

The Great Crested Flycatcher is an elegant, highly vocal, and surprisingly colorful member of the tyrant flycatcher family (Tyrannidae) native to eastern North America. Unlike many of its drab flycatcher relatives, it boasts a vibrant wash of lemon-yellow on its belly and warm rufous tones in its wings and tail. It is a high-canopy specialist, spending much of its time vocalizing and hunting for insects far above the forest floor. Although it is more often heard than seen, its boisterous personality and unique breeding habits—especially its penchant for incorporating shed snakeskins into its nests—make it a favorite search target for woodland birdwatchers.

Key Field Marks

• Size and Shape: A large, bulky flycatcher with a prominent, round head that often appears "bushy-crested" when the bird is excited or calling. It has long wings and a relatively long, broad tail.
• Plumage coloration: The upperparts are an olive-brown to grayish-green. The throat and upper breast are a clean, ash-gray, contrasting sharply with a bright lemon-yellow belly and undertail coverts.
• Wings and Tail: The primary feathers and tail feathers show striking flashes of cinnamon or rufous-brown, especially noticeable in flight from below or behind.
• Bill: Large, stout, and dark, with a pale or flesh-colored base on the lower mandible.

Similar Species to Distinguish

• Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens): Mostly a western species but sometimes wanders east. It is noticeably paler overall, with a much washier, pastel-yellow belly and a smaller bill.
• Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus): Larger, heavier bill with an all-dark lower mandible. Its yellow belly is slightly paler, and its vocalizations are distinctly lower-pitched.
• Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis): Has a gray chest and yellow belly, but possesses a black tail with stark white outer feathers, completely lacking the rich rufous wings and tail of the Great Crested Flycatcher.

Breeding Range and Habitat

During the spring and summer breeding season, the Great Crested Flycatcher is found throughout eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada south to the Gulf Coast and Florida. It thrives in deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, mature orchards, and wooded urban parks. It generally avoids dense, unbroken coniferous forests and highly open grasslands, preferring areas with mature trees that provide plenty of natural cavities.

Migration and Wintering

This species is a long-distance neotropical migrant. In early autumn, birds depart their breeding grounds for wintering territories in southern Florida, the Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. Excellent canopy cover is maintained as a requirement throughout its wintering range, where it frequents tropical evergreen forests and edge habitats.

Vocalizations

Because they dwell in the high canopy, these flycatchers are most easily located by their loud, energetic calls. The most common call is a sharp, rising, whistled "WHEEP!" or "CREEP!" that carries over long distances. They also emit a series of dry, rolling, guttural chatters and purrs when defending territory or communicating with mates.

Foraging and Feeding

True to their name, Great Crested Flycatchers are aerial acrobats. They feed primarily by "sallying" or launching from a perch to snatch flying insects like beetles, dragonflies, moths, and wasps directly from the air. They also hover-glean caterpillars, spiders, and cicadas from foliage. In late summer and on their wintering grounds, they supplement their insect diet with small berries and fruits.

Nesting and the "Snakeskin" Phenomenon

Great Crested Flycatchers are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they utilize pre-existing holes in trees, such as abandoned woodpecker cavities, hollow limbs, or artificial nest boxes.

They are famously known for incorporating shed snakeskins into their nest material. When snakeskins are unavailable, they routinely substitute artificial materials with a similar crinkly, shiny texture, such as plastic wrappers, cellophane, or onion skins. Ornithologists believe this behavior serves to deter potential nest predators like squirrels and mice by signaling the presence of a predator in the cavity.