Page 449 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES/FLYCATCHERS
Family Sylviidae Species Phylloscopus proregulus Family Muscicapidae Species Ficedula parva
Pallas’s Warbler Red-breasted Flycatcher
The tiniest and most boldly patterned leaf warbler, This delightful, tiny flycatcher is best identified by its
Pallas’s Warbler is eye-catching but not easy to separate black tail with a long rectangle of white on each side
from the Yellow-browed unless the crown and rump at the base.Males have a grey hood and a small orange-
are visible. It is brighter green and neckless, its head red throat patch. Females and juveniles have plainer
boldly striped yellow and dark green-black,with a long heads, with marked pale eye-rings, and smudgy marks
central crown stripe. Its rump is pale, lemon-yellow beside the throat.The legs are short and black, the tail
or cream, best seen as it hovers briefly while feeding. often cocked upwards. Migrants can be very tame.
OCCURRENCE Very rare but regular late autumn OCCURRENCE Breeds in E and NE Europe; rare but
vagrant in NW Europe, from Asia. regular autumn migrant in NW Europe.
VOICE Rising, soft chuee call. VOICE Short, dry,Wren-like trr- pale eye-ring
r-rt and tut; song high, sharp,
boldly striped
broad lower head rhythmic, falling away in
wingbar, purer cadence.
edged darker long
wings
JUVENILE
AUTUMN
white on tail

Length 9cm (3 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 12–16cm (4 3 ⁄4 –6 1 ⁄2in) Length 11–12cm (4 1 ⁄4 –4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 18–21cm (7–8 1 ⁄2in)

Family Muscicapidae Species Ficedula albicollis Family Muscicapidae Species Ficedula semitorquata
Collared Flycatcher Semi-collared Flycatcher
This is very similar to the Pied Flycatcher (see p.340), A difficult bird of restricted range, the Semi-collared
plumages other than the adult male’s being difficult. Flycatcher is best identified when breeding, by the
Females are greyer than Pied, with a greyish rump; the adult males: the white throat hooks around under the
wing patch is thinner, but there is a larger white patch ear coverts in a half collar,the wings have a lot of white
on the primaries. Juveniles may have a short upper with a very big primary patch, and the rump is pale
wingbar. Confusions arise with hybrids, as well as grey; Iberian Pied Flycatchers (see p.340), however,
Semi-collared Flycatchers. look very similar. Females have very thin white wing
OCCURRENCE Breeds in marks, but a strong upper wingbar.
bold white patch
E Europe, north to Baltic OCCURRENCE Breeds
near bill
islands; rare vagrant in white in Balkans and Turkey; white
W Europe in spring. collar migrates through Middle half
collar
VOICE Thin tseeeep and East in spring and autumn.
short tek; song slow, harsh VOICE Call low, piping
whistles of varying pitch. whistle; song slow, like
Collared Flycather’s,
MALE large white
wing patch more rhythmic
like Pied’s.
upper
wingbar
MALE
(SUMMER)
Length 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in) Wingspan 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in) Length 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in) Wingspan 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in)
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