Male Vermilion Flycatcher Photo and article by Vera Markham

Description:  The vermilion flycatcher is truly a very handsome bird.  This bird is always a delight to see.  It is about 6 inches long, has a bright scarlet cap, throat and underparts.  It has a brown-black eyeline or Zorro-like mask and the nape, back, wings, and tail are also brown-black.  Females have dull brown upperparts and whitish underparts with faint streaks on the breast.  They have undertail coverts tinged with pink or peach color.  The birds often wag their tails up and down and spread their tail feathers.

Habitat:  They frequent streams and ponds in arid areas.  They prefer open habitats such as arid scrubland, farmland, desert, savannah, cultivated lands, and riparian woodland settings.  Their nests can be found in willows, oaks, cottonwoods, mesquites, and sycamores lining streams.

Diet:  They feed mostly on insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and flies which are usually taken from mid-air, after a short flight from a perch, and they will also return to the same perch.

Breeding:  These birds are monogamous.  The hovering flight display of the male is one of the sights every birder should make an effort to observe. They fly vertically from a prominent perch, feathers fluffed out or spread, hovering approximately 50 to 60 feet, singing as they do this, and then gradually floating down to a tree branch. They first breed as second year birds, the first spring after hatching.  They start nesting as early as late March.  The female lays usually two to three oval-shaped eggs with colors that vary from pure white to cream, tan, or brown.  The incubation period in Arizona is 13-15 days.  The female broods the young and they fledge approximately 13 to 15 days after hatching.  Second broods are common and these second clutches have been observed from May 20 to June 10. 

Range:  The vermilion flycatcher's range extends from the southwestern United States down though Mexico, Central America, and as far south as Argentina.