Bird Guide

Short-crested Flycatcher vs Swainson's Flycatcher

Short-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus ferox)

Short-crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus ferox

Small28 gForest

The short-crested flycatcher is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 21 to 34 g (0.74 to 1.2 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies M. f. ferox have a smoky brown crown and upperparts; the crown has a slight crest. Their face is otherwise gray. Their wings are mostly dark brown with whitish yellow to grayish outer webs on the tertials. The wing's greater and median coverts have wide paler fuscous brown tips that show as two wing bars. Their tail is dark smoky brown with rufous edges on the feathers that quickly wear away. Voice: The short-crested flycatcher's song, given both at dawn and during the day, is "hort, slowly vibrato-modulated whistles given infrequently". It has also been described as a "short, fine prrrrih trill". Its calls include "rasping whistles, hiccups, and sometimes strident rattles".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Short-crested Flycatcher
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz · Song · Fila De Mariches (near Parroquia La Dolorita), Sucre, Distrito Capital, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0
Swainson's Flycatcher (Myiarchus swainsoni)

Swainson's Flycatcher

Myiarchus swainsoni

Small25 gForest

Swainson's flycatcher is 19.5 to 21 cm (7.7 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 21 to 38 g (0.74 to 1.3 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dull olive gray-green crown and upperparts with slightly browner uppertail coverts. The crown feathers form a slight crest. Their wings are mostly brown with rufous outer edges on the primaries. The secondaries and tertials have pale whitish yellow outermost webs and the tertials dirty white to rufous innermost webs. Their greater and median wing coverts have wide fuscous gray tips. Their tail is brown. Voice: The dawn song of Swainson's flycatcher is "alternated mournful whistles, huit notes and more complex phrases". Its typical call is also a mournful whistle.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Short-crested Flycatcher and Swainson's Flycatcher.