Great Crested Flycatcher Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesGreat Crested Flycatcher
Large flycatcher with a broad shouldered and big headed look. Note rusty primaries and tail feathers. Juveniles have more white edging on feathers than adults.
© Jack & Holly Bartholmai / Macaulay LibraryWisconsin, June 23, 2008Large flycatcher with a peaked crown. The underside of the tail has a very broad rusty stripe down the middle. Note bright yellow belly that goes farther up the breast than similar flycatchers.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 30, 2017Sits still on exposed perches, often in treetops, and scans the nearby airspace for flying insects.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 29, 2011Not all videos have sound
Large flycatcher with a thick bill, a big head, and a peaked crown. Head and chest are dark gray and belly is bright yellow.
© Scott Martin / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, June 04, 2019Nests in holes in trees or other artificial structures that provide a protected place to nest.
© Jonathan Pierce / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, June 28, 2017Breeds in woodlots and open woodland, particularly among deciduous trees.
© Heidi Tarasiuk / Macaulay LibraryIllinois, June 21, 2017Similar SpeciesBrown-crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatchers have a paler gray chest and a paler yellow belly than Great Crested Flycatchers. The tail, when seen from below, is less extensively rufous-orange than the Great Crested’s tail, which has more brown on the sides.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryGuanacaste, November 10, 2008Similar SpeciesAsh-throated Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatchers are smaller and paler overall than Great Crested Flycatchers. The bill is shorter and thinner than Great Crested.
© Alex Burdo / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 18, 2016Similar SpeciesEastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Wood-Pewees are smaller and have whiter underparts than Great Crested Flycatchers. They also do not have cinnamon in the wings or tail like Great Crested Flycatcher do.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryOrange Walk, May 11, 2017Similar SpeciesEastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebes are smaller and have whiter underparts than Great Crested Flycatchers. They also do not have cinnamon in the wings or tail like Great Crested Flycatcher do.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 02, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Tyrant Flycatchers(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Tyrannidae)
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