Flycatcher is a small bird that belongs to the order Passerines and the Flycatcher family, which includes about 80 genera and more than 330 species. All representatives of the flycatcher family have rather long wings and weak legs, unsuitable for active movement along tree branches or the ground. Flycatcher - a bird with a short tail (with the exception of the paradise flycatcher), with a notch at the end. Plumage coloration in the family of flycatchers can be both monotonous in one species and very bright in another.
The most common species of this family are the Lesser Flycatcher, the Gray Flycatcher and the Pied Flycatcher. The bird mainly has a conical strong beak that expands towards the base, small size and soft plumage, which is typical for all flycatcher species. In our country, from the representatives of this family, there are about 4 genera and 15 species.
The pilot, or small flycatcher, is a bird that got its name due to its miniature size and body weight. Its weight is only 11 grams, body length is 12-14 centimeters, for which the pilot is consideredthe smallest species of the Flycatcher family. The Lesser Flycatcher is an inconspicuous bird, as it prefers to settle in tall coniferous forests. In the first year of life, the coloration of males and females is almost the same. Later, the male pilot acquires a colorful plumage, expressed by an ash-gray coloring of the front of the chest and sides, a red neck and a brownish-gray back. The female of the little flycatcher has a duller plumage and does not have rufous spots on the throat. The nests of small flycatchers are distinguished by a large amount of moss, which is the main material for building a nest. Caterpillars, small beetles and butterflies serve as the main source of food for birds. The pilot's song is a rather simple ringing trill with a pleasant sound.
The gray flycatcher is a bird that has become widespread throughout Europe and the European part of Russia. In the east of our country, its habitat extends to the Chita region. The flycatcher bird (photo can be seen in the article) does not differ in bright plumage, having a brownish-gray top, white bottom and longitudinal streaks located on the chest and head. Like all representatives of the Flycatcher family, the gray flycatcher is small in size: the body length of the bird is 15 centimeters, and the body weight is 15 grams. Often, a bird settles near a person, lives in a summer cottage, on forest edges, vineyards, orchards and orchards. Although many representatives of this family have a rather beautiful voice, the gray flycatcher does not sing, but emits quiet, raspy whistles.
The Variegated Flycatcher is a songbird, which differs from its lesser and gray sisters by rather bright plumage and sonorous trills.
In summer, males have black and white plumage and distinct white spots on the wings and above the beak, as well as a whitish chest color. In female Pied Flycatchers, the plumage is less bright: the upper body is brown, and the wings and tail are dark. In winter, the color of males becomes similar to that of females, while male pieds remain with black wings and upper tail feathers. The main habitat of the pied flycatcher is parks, as well as orchards, where there are a large number of hollows. The song of the male Pied Flycatcher is a short ringing trill of varying pitch.
