  
The Great Crested Flycatcher
breeds east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and in
some southern portions of Canada. Great Crested Flycatchers
inhabit mature deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests,
preferring to nest in the clearings and edges of wooded areas,
orchards, parks, swamps and cultivated areas scattered with
trees. The breeding season may begin anywhere from mid-March to
mid-June, depending upon the latitude. Often competing with
European Starlings for nest sites, Great Crested Flycatchers nest
in deep, natural tree cavities, deserted woodpecker holes and
nest boxes. Nests are found in a variety of tree species from 3
to 70 feet above the ground, although most are below 20 feet.
Great Crested Flycatchers exhibit extreme site fidelity and
return to the same nest site season after season.
Ash-throated Flycatchers are fairly common, and in some places
quite abundant, throughout most of the western United States and
Mexico. The breeding range extends as far north as Oregon and
Washington, as far east as central Texas, and as far south as
central Mexico. Ash-throated Flycatchers are generalists when it
comes to breeding habitat. They breed in chaparral, mesquite
thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti,
deserts, and open deciduous and riparian woodlands. Ash-throated
Flycatchers arrive on the breeding grounds as early as March in
Texas and California, April in New Mexico, and May in Washington.
It is unknown how soon after they arrive that they begin to
breed, but egg dates show that breeding can begin as early as
mid-March in southern California and May in Arizona and Texas.
Ash-throated Flycatchers are as indiscriminate about nest sites
as they are about breeding habitat. Nests are found 3 to 20 feet
off the ground in natural cavities, including tree cavities,
hollow stumps, cacti, abandoned woodpecker holes, and behind
loose bark. Nests can also be nestled in the dry floral stems of
yucca or agave plants.
|
