Return of Bird of the Week: Tufted Flycatcher
Tufted Flycatcher, Costa Rica
The Tufted Flycatcher is another beautiful, elegant bug-eating bird. It’s fairly common in Mexico and Central America, ranging into northern Columbia and occasionally into Texas and Arizona. WC wouldn’t usually post a strongly backlit image like this, but this male was guarding (or distracting possible predators) from his mate and their nest.
Tufted Flycatcher on Nest, Costa Rica
As you can see, the nest itself is almost perfectly camouflaged against the mossy tree trunk. This pretty little lady decided WC wasn’t a threat and hunkered down on her nest.
Tufted Flycatcher on Nest, Costa Rica
Classification of Tufted Flycatchers is an ornithological train wreck. Depending on who you talk to and what you read, there are between one and five species, with different ornithologists staking out positions on every number in between. So this might be a Southern Tufted Flycatcher, or even a Costa Rican Tufted Flycatcher. Stay tuned.
WC doesn’t often find bird nests; after all, if you are small, nearly defenseless bird and your nest is easily found the technical term for you is “extinct.” WC counts himself lucky to have found this one.
Note: these images were made with a 300mm lens and a 2.0 teleconverter, from a distance of about five meters. Please don’t get too close to bird nests. Not only do you risk driving the birds off the eggs. You also point out the nest location to any intelligent predator who might be watching you.
For more bird photographs, please visit Frozen Feather Images.