Bird Guide

Ash-throated Flycatcher vs Brown-crested Flycatcher

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Small28 gShrubland

The ash-throated flycatcher is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher, measuring 7.5 to 8.6 in (19 to 22 cm) in length with a wingspan of 11.8 to 12.6 in (30 to 32 cm) and a mass of 0.7 to 1.3 oz (20 to 37 g). Overall, it is slim and long-tailed, with a slightly peaked crest on its relatively large head. The upperparts are olive brown, with a darker head and short crest. The breast is gray and the belly is a very pale yellow. The brown tail feathers and wings have rufous outer webs, and there are two dull wing bars. The sexes are similar. Voice: The ash-throated flycatcher is separated from other confusingly similar Myiarchus species by its calls, a burry kabrick and a rough prrt or wheer heard year-round.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: docentjoyce on Flickr · CC BY 2.0
Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus)

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus tyrannulus

Small35 gWoodland

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".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Rosa Elena Albornoz · CC0
Photo: Fernando Sessegolo · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Ash-throated Flycatcher and Brown-crested Flycatcher.