Red-breasted Flycatcher

Ficedula parva (Bechstein, 1794)

		adult male 2nd-s male
2016-04-30 Uralsk-Atyrau road. 2009-05-06 Fetisovo, Mangyshlak peninsula, Eastern Caspian Sea	© Askar Isabekov © Andrey Kovalenko

Description

In spring and summer Red-breasted Flycatcher adult male's the upper-head and upper-neck are brownish-grey passed to ashy-grey on forehead, ears coverts, neck-flanks, craw-flanks and breast-flanks. Mantle is brownish-grey, tail is piebald - central tail feather are dark-brown almost black, other ones are white with blackish terminal part. Chin, throat, craw and upper-breast are rufous, other underparts are white. Flanks and underwings are buff. Female is browner than male; without grey tones; rufous color on underparts changed by buffy patches lightened on throat. Juveniles are mottled; upperparts feathers are with buffy centers and dark edges, craw and breast are grayish with dark streaks, belly and undertail are white. On flanks of rear-belly there are two large buffy patches. First-year male is even slightly paler than adult female; without buffy patches on breast and flanks and without rufous throat-patch. In second year craw becomes much rufous; but only in third year craw becomes bright-rufous. Bill is dark-brown with slightly paler base, eyes are walnut color, legs and claws are black-brown. Sizes: wing 64-71, tail 48-57, tarsus 16-18. Weight: 8.4 - 10.6 gr.

Distribution

Red-breasted Flycatcher breeds in Western and Eastern Kazakhstan; on migration it occurs in far and away wide territory. Please see the detailed distribution in Kazakhstan in the section Subspecies.

Biology

Red-breasted Flycatcher is rare breeding migrant. It inhabits flood-land deciduous and mixed forests on plains and in mountains up to 1300 m in Altai. On migration Red-breasted Flycatcher visits bush thickets, man-made forests and groves. It arrives in end of April - early May; poor flight finishes in end of May. Nest is built in tree (in Siberia mostly in tree holes) at 0.1-1.1 m above ground; nest is from moss, dry grass, bast, thin rootlets, and is lined with poplar fluff, hair and feathers. Only female builds nest. Clutches of 4-7 eggs founded in end of May - mid-June. Broods recorded in end June - late July. Only one nest is known for Kazakhstan. Autumn migration passes from the end of August, majority of birds fly out in September, latest migrants recorded in mid - end October.

Subspecies

Ficedula parva parva (Bechstein, 1794) Description. Crown is more greyish, less brownish; orange-buff patch on throat and breast is larger than in albicilla. Breast (excepting orange-buff patch) is usually white, sometimes with greyish tinge. Distribution. Breeds in middle current of Ural valley. In Volga-Ural area and in lower current of Ural valley occurs on migration. One female 9 May 1990 observed on western chink of Ustyurt.

Ficedula (parva) albicilla (Pallas, 1811) Description. Crown more brownish, less greyish; orange-buff patch on throat and breast are less than in parva. Breast (excepting orange-buff patch) is usually ashy-grey. Distribution. Breeds on Western Altai in upper course of Belaya Uba river and in upper reach of Bukhtarma river near Uryl village, where juvenile with adult recorded 21 July 2001. Probably this race occurs on migration in other territory of Kazakhstan, from Naurzum Reserve, Mugodzhary ridge and Northern Trans-Aral area; westward to Ust-Kamenogorsk, South Trans-Balkhash area and Almaty. In 25-27 October 1998 one bird observed in Aksu-Dzhabagly Reserve, in Dzhabagly settlement. On Chokpak Station two juveniles ringed 16 September and 1 October 2005.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 3. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1970.
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005