Pied Perfection

Just as perky and endearing as the robin, the pied flycatcher is a delightful and interesting species that has proved a tough challenge to breed in captivity. BILL NAYLOR reports

- Bill Naylor

AS KEEPERS of British softbills will know, flycatchers vary in shape, from the slim, upright spotted flycatcher and common redstart to the more rotund flycatchers like the robin.

The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) belongs to a genus of birds that are robin-shaped and have the mannerisms of titmice. There are three other Ficedula flycatchers with pied plumage: the Atlas pied flycatcher (F. speculigera), the semi-collared flycatcher (F. semitorquata) and the European pied flycatcher’s closest relative, the collared flycatcher (F. albicollis). Pied and collared flycatchers are similar in appearance and can hybridise and produce fertile offspring.

The male pied flycatcher sports his dramatic black and white pattern only in the summer. This may include a short white bar or two white spots above the cere, and if he has this white bit, he retains it after the autumn moult. Together with his black upper tail coverts, this then distinguishes him from the female, which is predominantly mousy brown with white on the chin, wings and underparts.

The pied flycatcher, which had the country names “coalfinch” and “coldfinch”, is less common than the more familiar spotted flycatcher. Its population has declined by more than 50 per cent since 1995 in the UK and has also fallen in its European range, due to habitat loss.