Cooperative Living May 2017 - 33

Feathered Friends ... continued from pg. 12
The crested flycatcher (Myiarchus
crinitus) is about 8½ inches in length, and
is best identified by its large, shaggy or
bushy head, which is not really a crest.
The Greek/Latin names mean " fly ruler "
and " long-haired " or " crested. " Its head
and upper parts are olive drab or brownisholive,
with a gray throat and chest, fading
to a yellowish belly. Its wings and tail are
cinnamon-colored, and it shows two buffy
wing bars. It doesn't really have a crest, but
the feathers atop its head are often held
erect giving the impression of a crest.
Crested flycatchers tend to be quiet
early in the day but get more vocal and
noisy later. They're more apt to be heard
than seen, because they usually stay high
in the canopy. The clear, almost piercing
call of " wheep-wheep-wheep " is harsh and
loud. This is often followed by a repetitive
series of scolding calls. To some the call
sounds like " freight-freight-freight, " the
source of the nickname, " freight bird. "
Other monikers include " wheep, " great
crested flycatcher, great crested yellowbellied
flycatcher and snakeskin bird.
Crested flycatchers are territorial and
defend their territory aggressively. They
pick out clear, open perches so they can
survey their domain and will commonly
chase other birds away. However, they are
not likely to chase crows and hawks.
Crested flycatchers nest in natural
cavities of dead or dying trees or branches,
old woodpecker holes or manmade boxes
or houses, usually 6 to 50 feet up. There
are even records of them nesting in
mailboxes and newspaper tubes. The nest
is a mass of grasses, leaves, feathers, plant
fibers, pine tags and cloth strips. One of
the most notable and curious habits is
using shed snakeskins in the nest. One
wonders why or even how they seek out
and find shed snakeskins (this is where the
nickname snakeskin bird comes from).
The crested flycatcher is
about 8½ inches in
length, and is best
identified by its large,
shaggy or bushy head,
which is not really a crest.
Some speculate that snakeskins deter nest
robbers like squirrels and certain birds.
Sometimes flycatchers will use cellophane
in their nests, perhaps because it resembles
dry snakeskin. In more southerly climes
they'll use dry cypress leaves and bark
strips, palmetto fibers and sphagnum moss.
About three to eight eggs are laid. The
eggs are creamy white or buffy, spotted
and scrawled with brown and purple.
Incubation takes about 13 to 15 days and
the hatchlings are fed and defended by
both parents. The young fledge in about
another 14 to 15 days.
Crested flycatchers are mainly insect
eaters, flying out from a perch to snatch
airborne insects in typical flycatcher
fashion. Damselflies, dragonflies, moths,
cicadas, beetles, katydids and a host of
other flying insects are part of their menu.
They will come to the ground as well to
feed on beetles, leaf hoppers, crickets,
grasshoppers and moth larvae. They will
also feed on certain wild fruits and berries.
August finds them completing all their
parenting duties as they and their young
prepare for their migration to the Gulf
Coast states, Cuba, Mexico or as far as
Columbia, beginning in September
through October. 
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Cooperative Living May 2017

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