Ash-throated Flycatcher
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Myiarchus
Species: cinerascens
**Audio Below**
Description
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Length: 8.5"
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Wing span: 12"
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Weight: 0.95oz (27 grams)
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Grey and white overall with a small, wide black bill
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Short dark bushy crest, dark head and brown back
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White to gray throat and chest with a very pale yellow belly
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Blackish brown wings with rufous patch on primaries
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Very little difference in plumage between males, females and juveniles
Factoids:
- A common flycatcher of open arid areas of the West, the Ash-throated Flycatcher nests in holes in trees, fence posts, and nest boxes
- Unlike most members of its genus, the Ash-throated Flycatcher only occasionally uses snakeskin in its nest. Only 5% of nests examined contained reptile skin, but 98% had mammal hair and rabbit fur was the most frequently used
- The Ash-throated Flycatcher frequently uses man-made structures for nesting. It readily uses nest boxes, as well as pipes, fence posts, ledges under eaves or porches, and even in clothes hanging on a clothesline. The use of artificial structures may have offset the loss of natural nest sites by development, and may be responsible for an increase in numbers
- The Ash-throated Flycatcher is a rare, but regular vagrant to the East Coast. Individuals turn up nearly every year, and have been found in all coastal states and provinces. Sightings are less frequent from inland areas in the East and Midwest
All photographs and audio clips are ©Jamie Mullin 2006
Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Sibley Guide to Birds.
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