Vermilion Flycatcher
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least Concern 5
Where and when to see the Vermilion Flycatcher
DraftOn the Yucatán Peninsula
It likes open country with scattered trees and fences, often near water: pastures, savanna, farmland and village edges. Look for a red spark on a low, exposed perch.
Where it’s reported most
- CelestúnCelestún, Yucatán
- Ría LagartosRío Lagartos, Yucatán
- El Corchito ReserveProgreso, Yucatán
- El CuyoTizimín, Yucatán
When
All year
Reported all year.
Reports relative to effort
- January: 100%
- February: 77%
- March: 65%
- April: 57%
- May: 58%
- June: 55%
- July: 60%
- August: 71%
- September: 89%
- October: 90%
- November: 100%
- December: 85%
Data: eBird and other datasets via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), 2015–2026 · Base map: Natural Earth
Sallies from fence wires and low open branches to catch flying insects, usually in open country with scattered trees and often near water. It tends to return to the same perch.
- Identification
- A small flycatcher. The male is brilliant red on the crown and underparts, with a dark brown mask, back, wings and tail. The female is grey-brown above and whitish with faint streaks below, washed pink or yellow on the belly.
- Voice
- A sharp “peet” call. The male’s song is a fast, tinkling “pit-pit-pit-pidddrreee”, often sung in flight.
What the photo doesn’t show
DraftSinging in the air
The male courts with a flight song: he puffs out his red feathers, flutters up high above his territory and seems to bounce across the sky while singing, then swoops back down to a perch. 1,2
A hands-on father
While the female incubates, the male brings her food. After the chicks fledge he may look after them on his own while she starts a second nest. 1,2
Songs against the noise
In Mexico City, UNAM researchers recorded 29 males and found that those in noisier territories sang longer songs. Rather than raising their pitch, as many songbirds do, they changed the length of their songs. 3
A bird from the Beagle
The species was first described in 1839 by John Gould from specimens Charles Darwin brought back from the voyage of the Beagle. Its genus name, Pyrocephalus, means “fire head”. 4
Sources
- Birds of the World (Cornell Lab): Vermilion Flycatcher (opens in a new tab)
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds: Vermilion Flycatcher (opens in a new tab)
- ScienceDaily: Urban noise makes flycatchers change length of their songs (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Vermilion flycatcher (opens in a new tab)
- IUCN Red List category, via GBIF: Pyrocephalus rubinus (opens in a new tab)
Map and months: 6,208 records from 2015–2026 from eBird, iNaturalist, and others, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), in 0.1° squares (about 10 km). eBird: doi.org/10.15468/aomfnb.
Months: the species’ records ÷ all bird records that month, scaled to the busiest month. It allows for birding effort; it is not the chance of seeing it. A blank square: few or no reports, not necessarily absent.
Tell us where, or ask how to find one.
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