Red-breasted Flycatcher
Ficedula parva
The Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva) is a uncommon chats, old world flycatchers, and alli found in 76 countries, weighing about 11 g. The red-breasted flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family.
About the Red-breasted Flycatcher
The red-breasted flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in eastern Europe and across Central Asia and is migratory, wintering in south Asia. The breeding male is mainly muted brown above and white below, with a grey head and an orange throat. Females and immatures are similarly colored but lack the orange throat patch. The red-breasted flycatcher is a regular passage migrant in western Europe, whereas the collared flycatcher, which has a different migration route, is scarce. It forms a superspecies with the closely related taiga flycatcher and Kashmir flycatcher and can be distinguished from the former by its different song, warmer-toned plumage…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
At 11–12 cm long, this is a relatively small flycatcher, only slightly larger than the Eurasian wren. Adult breeding males are mainly muted brown above and white below, with a grey head and orange throat. The bill is black and has a pale pinkish base along with the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. The wheatear-like tail is distinctive in all plumages; the tail is entirely black except for the white base on the outer tail feathers. Voice: The song is usually three to four seconds long and consists of far-carrying and repetitive yet sweet-sounding whistles, like that of the European pied flycatcher, but less melodious. Each song phrase is usually preceded by quiet zit or tsi-it notes, followed by a descending multipart sequence that may recall the song of the willow warbler.
What the Red-breasted Flycatcher sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Netherlands, Iraq, Albania, Bahrain, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Switzerland.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, May, June, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Red-breasted Flycatcher?
- At 11–12 cm long, this is a relatively small flycatcher, only slightly larger than the Eurasian wren. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Red-breasted Flycatcher?
- The Red-breasted Flycatcher is a tiny sized bird weighing about 11 g.
- Where can you see a Red-breasted Flycatcher?
- The Red-breasted Flycatcher occurs in 76 countries, including India, Sweden, Finland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
- What does a Red-breasted Flycatcher sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Red-breasted Flycatcher on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Red-breasted Flycatcher?
- The Red-breasted Flycatcher is most easily confused with the Collared Flycatcher, the Taiga Flycatcher and the Little Pied Flycatcher.
- Is the Red-breasted Flycatcher endangered?
- The Red-breasted Flycatcher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Red-breasted Flycatcher for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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