| |
BirdShopper > Products by Type of Bird > Flycatchers
Flycatchers.....builds its nest of grasses, leaves, pine needles, fur, and feathers in natural cavities and human-made structures, such as nest boxes, mail boxes, stovepipes, and rain gutters. Deep cavities are usually filled with leaf litter until the nest is just the right height from the cavity hole. A piece of snake skin or cellophane is often incorporated into the bulky nest. The female lays 3 to 6 (usually 5) brown-streaked eggs. The incubation period is 13 to 15 days. Both sexes vigorously defend the nest from woodpeckers, starlings, other flycatchers, and squirrels, remove fecal sacs, and care for the young. The nestling period is from 13 to 17 days, 13 and 14 days are the most common. After fledging, the young and adults remain as a family group, staying in the nesting area for up to 3 weeks.
Flycatchers are aggressive, nesting in a variety of woodland and suburban habitats. From exposed perches it searches for insects and vigorously defends its territory against intruders. Most of the Great Crested Flycatcher's diet consists of flying insects, such as beetles, flies, wasps, katydids, and dragonflies, although fruits of the elderberry, wild cherry, and blackberry are eaten by both adults and young.
|
|
|
|