FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Once considered a subspecies of the red breasted flycatcher, the Taiga flycatcher (red throated flycatcher) was first described in 1811 by a Prussian zoologist and a botanist named Peter Simon Pallas. It is now a full species of its own and its scientific name is Ficedula albicilla. The specific verbiage albicilla is taken from the Latin word 'albus' meaning white (albus white), and New Latin word 'cilla', meaning tail. It comes from the family Muscicapa, which also includes birds such as the brown breasted flycatcher and the scissor tailed flycatcher.
These birds are 4.33-5.12 in (11-13 cm) in length. It breeds from eastern Europe and across Central Asia. Known for being a winter visitor, it travels to South and Southeast Asia in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, in addition to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Japan.
As the name denotes, its natural habitat is the 'Taiga' forest. It is also recognized as a rare vagrant in North America.
The genus name Ficedula is from Latin and refers to a small fig-eating bird (derived from Latin word 'Ficus', meaning fig; ficus fig). These birds are very well populated and are found in a huge range.
A non endemic, woodland bird that migrates long distances, the red throated flycatcher is nothing short of spectacular. Don't let these medium sized deceive you, these birds are well adept at dropping to the ground to capture prey.
It is a type of bird, part of the mammal family.
It belongs to the class of Aves.
The exact number of birds of this species has not been recorded yet.
The Ficedula albicilla range from southeast Nepal to north India, Bangladesh, and southeast China. They are sometimes even found in western Europe.
These species are usually found in the mixed and deciduous forest of mountains which have dense undergrowth and tall trees.
The Taiga Flycatchers (Ficedula albicilla) usually tend to live on their own unless during the mating period where they live in pairs. They are very territorial birds like other species of the Muscicapidae family.
The exact lifespan of this species has not been recorded yet.
The breeding period takes place from mid-June to August.
These birds have a huge range and are well populated because of which the conservation status for this bird is evaluated as Least Concern.
In breeding plumage, males have a brown to greyish-brown head and upperparts, but the upper-tail-coverts are darker, almost blackish. They have a dark bill with a dark tail with a white base. The underparts are white with a peach tinge. It has an orange throat, bordered with grey. These birds look very similar to the red breasted flycatcher. The only difference is that they are a little bigger in size in comparison to the red breasted flycatcher and the overall coloration of the red breasted flycatcher is brighter in appearance. The lores, malar area, and ear coverts are gray. The pointed bill is blackish with a yellowish tinge and it is variably dark towards the tip. It has brown eyes with feathery white eyering. The legs and feet are dark brown to blackish. In non breeding plumage, the male has reduced rufous-orange patch and its underparts become more buffish. The female resembles a male, but there is an absence of the red throat that the male possesses and hers is mostly white. The underparts are grayish buff.
The Taiga flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) is similar in appearance to the red breasted flycatcher and was once considered its subspecies. it has a darker bill and black upper tail coverts, which is very different in the case of a red-breasted flycatcher. These birds come from the family old world flycatchers which have a total of 324 species. The genus name for the bird is Ficedula which is a Latin word and refers to a small fig eating bird. Taiga flycatcher's female upperparts are brown in color with the black tail flanked by white. Its breast is buffish with mostly whiteish underparts. Males have ear coverts. The sides of the neck are blue tinged gray. Breeding males have orange red coloration on their throats.
These small passerine birds are small and colored and are considered very cute.
They communicate with other birds through their song and by flicking their wings and tail when they feel threatened to scare the predator off.
They are 4.33-5.12 in (11-13 cm) in length.
The exact speed of flight of this bird has not been recorded yet.
This flycatcher weighs around 0.49 0z (14g).
There is no sex specific name for the different sexes of the species.
A baby flycatcher of this species (Ficedula albicilla) is called a chick.
They are insectivores.
Yes, these birds are friendly in nature.
No, these birds are migratory in nature and prefer to live in isolation. They would not make a good pet.
Only the female of the species builds nests. They are solitary nesters. These nests are cup shaped, made specifically in a hole in a tree or wall, a few meters above the ground. Males do not build nests.
These birds are monogamous, that is they have relationships with only one partner at a time, rather than multiple partners. All the more reason as to why they nest in isolated pairs. Males display the courtship to female by feeding her.
Although the cup shaped nest is built by the female some meters above the ground, it also accepts nest boxes.
The sound produced is a soft rattling 'trrr' and less frequently, clicking 'tek' notes, and also a harsh 'zree' The song is melodious, high pitched and ends with 'zri zri zri chee chee dee-cha dee-cha dee-cha chu chu chu tu tu tu tu too taa'.
Yes, these are indeed migratory in nature, it migrates towards southern or southeast Asia during winter and is a rare vagrant in western Europe.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these great crested flycatcher, or vermilion flycatcher
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Taiga flycatcher coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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