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Birding Colorado Springs: Flycatchers

Birds commonly seen in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.

Flycatchers

Members of family Tyrranidae including small, drab birds known as flycatchers, and the Western Kingbird. As the name suggests, flycatchers typically sit on an exposed branch or other perch, fly out to catch an insect, and then return to their starting place.

Western Kingbird

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Info (All About Birds) Song  (Macaulay Library) Video (YouTube)
  • Roughly robin-sized bird with yellow underbelly and gray back; largish flat head and relatively heavy beak
  • Frequently perches on fences in or near fields
  • Aggressive with members of its own species; body language is "sassy"

Western Wood-Pewee

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Info (All About Birds) Song  (Macaulay Library) Video (YouTube)
  • Little Brown Job -- better identified by voice and behavior than plumage (drab with pale wing bars, little to no eye ring)
  • Almost impossible to distinguish visually from Eastern Wood-Pewee; geographic location and voice are identifying factors