Vermilion Flycatcher

Henry David Thoreau said, "With the autumn begins in some measure a new spring." That is certainly true here on the ranch. Just as I was lamenting the fact that many of the familiar birds have migrated south, an abundance of birds unfamiliar to me seemed to have arrived.

I couldn't believe it when I saw this Vermilion Flycatcher perched on the fencepost across from my window. Even more astonishing was the fact that it sat there long enough for me to get a photo!

In Mexico the male Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is known as brasita de fuego, "little coal of fire" and from this photo you can certainly see why. The female is differently colored, which is unusual for flycatchers. She is dull grayish brown above, with pale red under the tail, and a streaked whitish chest. (I'll keep a sharp eye out for the females now that I know they are in the area.)

In Texas and New Mexico, this species can be seen in desert riparian areas where mesquites, willows, and cottonwoods line dry washes or perennial streams, as well as open parklands with widely spaces oaks and junipers. (A riparian area is the interface between land and a stream. The word "riparian" is derived from Latin ripa, meaning river bank.)

Their conservation status is listed as 'Least Concern' but human water use and land development have caused drastic declines in Vermilion Flycatcher populations in the Lower Colorado River Valley.

Vermilion Flycatchers are sit-and-wait predators, their diet consisting of insects and other arthropods.

There is virtully no market for these beautiful birds as pets because when taken from the wild and put in cages the males tend to lose their bright colors.