Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds
Red-breasted Flycatcher
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Ficedula parva
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Song
Robert Petersen
Song
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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11–12 cm, slightly larger than a wren
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Male: grey head, orange throat
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Brownish-grey above, white below; broad white on outer tail feathers
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Thin dark bill, often flicks the tail
About the species
The red-breasted flycatcher is a small, active woodland songbird with a habit of flicking and fanning its tail while it watches for insects. In spring, males sing from bare branches and may start before sunrise; the song is a short run of clear whistles, and the call can sound like a dry rattle or a quick chip-chip-chr-rrr.
It stays alert and territorial in the breeding season, and pairs may mob intruders near the nest. When disturbed, it can leave the clutch briefly and then return, and the adults give alarm calls even to distant threats.
It breeds in mature broadleaf and mixed forest, especially where there are tall trees, undergrowth, and open spots to perch. It feeds mainly on insects and small spiders, taking them from leaves, branches, the air, and sometimes the ground, and later in the year it also eats berries. It nests across eastern Europe and Central Asia and winters in south Asia.
Where to find
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In mature parks and old orchards with large lime, oak, or fruit trees, the Red-breasted Flycatcher often gives itself away by singing from an open perch in the middle layer.
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Along pond edges, canal banks, or overgrown streams, look in shrubs and on low branches — it makes short sallies after insects.
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In floodplain plantings and dense thickets at the edge of paths, watch for a quick hover at leaves and trunks before it snaps at prey.
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In autumn, check old berry hedges and tangled shrub belts — it feeds there quietly and stays easy to miss.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Ficedula parva Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Red-breasted flycatcher Encyclopedia article