Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds
Collared Flycatcher
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Ficedula albicollis
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Voice
Song
Jochem verweij
Song
Jochem verweij
Song
Jochem Verweij
How to recognize it
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13 cm, smaller than a sparrow
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Male black-and-white: white forehead and throat patch
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Broad white wing patch, black tail
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Female brownish-grey, much less contrasting
About the species
The collared flycatcher often keeps to tree crowns and moves with quick, direct sallies after flying insects. When it is in song, the voice comes as slow, squeezed whistles, and the usual call is a drawn-out "eep".
It also takes caterpillars from oak foliage and will eat berries. In the breeding season, pairs use tree holes or nest boxes, usually in places with old trees.
Look for it in deciduous woods, parks, and gardens across southeast Europe, where it breeds, then leaves for sub-Saharan Africa in winter. It arrives with the season, breeds there, and is absent from Europe for much of the colder months.
Where to find
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In mature deciduous parks with old hollow trees, the male gives away a short, clear song from the canopy and quick sallies after insects.
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Around cemeteries and old tree-lined gardens — especially near lindens and oaks — look for it sitting by a tree hole before darting out.
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On the edges of urban orchards and parks with berry bushes, it stays above eye level and sometimes drops lower to feed among the leaves.
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On warm mornings near nest boxes and cracked old trunks, the thin call is often easier to hear than to spot.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Ficedula albicollis Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Collared flycatcher Encyclopedia article