Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWoodlandCavity nestSmall · 35 g

What the Brown-crested Flycatcher sounds like

Sonogram of the Brown-crested Flycatcher: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz · Uncertain · Cúa (near La Magdalena), Urdaneta, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The brown-crested flycatcher is 18 to 23 cm (7.1 to 9.1 in) long, with a general trend of larger to smaller from north to south. Subspecies M. t. magister is the largest taxon within the entire genus Myiarchus, weighing 36 to 54 g (1.3 to 1.9 oz). The other subspecies weigh 21 to 45 g (0.74 to 1.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the subspecies M. t. magister and M. t. cooperi have a grayish brown crown whose feathers have darker shafts and form a bushy crest. Their upperparts are mostly light brownish gray to dark olive gray with often a rufous tinge on the uppertail coverts. Voice: The brown-crested flycatcher's dawn song varies somewhat among the subspecies but overall is "alternated renditions of isolated huits and complex phrases that are typically derived from combination of a whay-burg note with brief series of rapid huits".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Brown-crested Flycatcher

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Brown-crested Flycatcher

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 23 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Bahamas.

About the Brown-crested Flycatcher

The brown-crested flycatcher is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is found from the southwestern United States south through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica; on Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Trinidad, and Tobago; and in every mainland South American country except Chile and possibly Ecuador.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Brown-crested Flycatcher vs Great Crested Flycatcher · Ash-throated Flycatcher vs Brown-crested Flycatcher · Brown-crested Flycatcher vs Dusky-capped Flycatcher · Brown-crested Flycatcher vs Short-crested Flycatcher · Brown-crested Flycatcher vs Pale-edged Flycatcher

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