Species

Great crested flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

A loud, lemon-bellied flycatcher of the treetops that often weaves a shed snakeskin into its nest.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 17 to 21 cm long
Weight: About 27 to 40 g
Habitat: Open woods, forest edges, parks and wooded suburbs
Diet: Large insects, including beetles, moths and katydids; some berries
In Georgia: A common summer resident, April to September
Voice: A loud, rising "wheep!"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Grey throat and breast; bright lemon-yellow belly; rufous in the wings and tail; slight crest
Told apart from: Eastern kingbird, which is black and white
Told apart from: Western kingbird, which has a pale grey head and a black tail
Where to look: High in leafy trees; listen for the loud "wheep"

Behaviour

Great crested flycatchers catch insects in flight or snatch them from leaves. They nest in tree cavities and nest boxes, often adding a piece of shed snakeskin or plastic to the nest.

Why they matter

This is the only eastern flycatcher that nests in cavities, so it depends on old woodpecker holes and dead trees. It eats many large insects in the tree canopy.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cavity or nest box filled with grass, feathers and often a snakeskin
Eggs — Usually four to six
Incubation — About 13 to 15 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 13 to 15 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Nest boxes with a 5 cm entrance hole are sometimes used.
Dead trees with woodpecker holes provide nest sites.

Misconceptions

The snakeskin in the nest is to scare predators. Nobody is sure why they use it; it may simply be a favoured material.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In Central America	In Central America	In Central America	Arriving	Nesting	Nesting	Young fledging	Present	Leaving	Last birds	In Central America	In Central America

Where it lives

Recorded in 56 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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