Newsletter / Blog
2012-06-07 A first for Ireland – Collared Flycatcher
A first sighting of the Collared
Flycatcher - Ficedula albicollis - in Ireland.
Collared Flycatcher
The Collared
Flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, breeds in southeast Europe and
southwest Asia and is migratory, wintering in
sub Sahara Africa. A rare summer visitor to Southern
Africa. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe. Habitat is
deciduous woodlands, parks and gardens.
Description
The breeding male
is a small, pied bird, with a glossy black head, back, tail and upperwing, a
grey rump, and a white forehead, throat and underparts. The legs and beak are
black. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are a pale brown.
Call
Drawn-out “seep”
or soft “whit-whit-whit”. Alarm call a hard “pik”.
Food
An aerial
insectivore, flying out of a perch in a tree to catch insects in flight. They
also hunt caterpillars amongst the oak foliage, and will also eat berries.
Breeding
They build an
open nest in a tree hole, or man-made nest-boxes. Normally 5-7 brown eggs are
laid.
Conservation Status – Least concern
In Europe, trends since 1982 show that populations have
undergone a moderate increase. Not threatened.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to
create a tour for you to see these interesting Flycatchers, in Italy or south
eastern Europe. |