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As a policy manager and self-proclaimed “water nerd,” I did not bring much bird experience with me when I joined the Audubon Southwest team a little over a year ago. I finally downloaded the free eBird app, grabbed my monocular, and set out to my local park to collect data after being inspired by the global community-scientist initiative, the Great Backyard Bird Count, in February. I expected to see doves, grackles, and maybe a covey of quail. I was quickly stopped in my tracks by a flash of red perched low on an ironwood tree—a Vermilion Flycatcher. This species sighting marked the beginning of my passion for birding, also known as my “spark bird.”   

Vermilion Flycatchers are members of the tyrant flycatcher family, measuring six inches from their head to the tip of their tail, with a ten-inch wingspan. Males and females are visually distinct from each other (also known as sexually dimorphic). The males’ plumage features black wings, a black back, and a thin black mask across their eyes with a brilliant red body and crown—the trait that inspired this species’ common name. Meanwhile, the females’ less vibrant plumage (and still beautiful!) is primarily gray and white accented with a streaked chest and pinkish or yellowish belly. 

With a habitat extending from the southwestern United States through Mexico and parts of Central America, Vermilion Flycatchers are found year-round throughout their range and usually in open areas near water. They frequent oases in the desert, including places like urban parks and habitats along the Lower Colorado River. The Lower Colorado River provides important habitat areas for many birds as well as a critical water supply for the southwest and it is shrinking due to climate change and overuse.  

Considered a species of special concern in California, the Vermilion Flycatcher is covered under the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a program developed to mitigate the impacts of dams on the Lower Colorado River and provide Endangered Species Act compliance by conserving habitat for birds, fish, and other native wildlife. The program has a goal to create more than 5,200 acres of Vermilion Flycatcher habitat by planting cottonwood, willow, and honey mesquite trees. For more about the important role the river plays and the birds that call it home, be sure to check out Audubon’s Lower Colorado River Habitats website.   

Vermilion Flycatcher fun facts to impress your friends:  

• The genus of this species, Pyrocephalus, comes from ancient Greek words meaning “fire-headed."  

• There are 12 subspecies of Vermilion Flycatchers, including some on the coast of Peru that feature no red at all!  

• Vermilion Flycatchers are known to dip and spread their tails, much like Phoebes.   

• Males exhibit an aerial courtship display that includes puffing up feathers, fluttering high in the air, and singing repeatedly. They also offer gifts of butterflies or other flashy insects to females.  

• Both bird parents feed their young.  

• Vermilion Flycatchers forage for insects from perches.   

• While the Great Egret is the National Audubon Society’s mascot, the Vermilion Flycatcher is the Tucson Audubon Society Chapter’s mascot.   

• Bonus fact: Tucson, Arizona experiences the highest Vermilion Flycatcher population density in the U.S.!   

Has this fiery-colored flycatcher captivated you, too? Keep your eyes peeled and heart open to the beauty birds can spark within each of us. 

 

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