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Great-Crested Flycatcher

Great-Crested Flycatcher line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Great-Crested Flycatcher full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Great-Crested Flycatcher illustration was completed on 10.4.2011. Often I am amazed at the recurring colors in birds - grays, yellows, browns - and am flustered at how to tell one bird species apart from the other. In the Bay Area there are several species of small birds - vireos I believe - that have this same type of similar coloration. I thought this at first when I sat down to draw the Great-Crested Flycatcher. But after drawing it, I realized that even though several birds species might share similar coloration, the difference lay in the lovely details of the bird's anatomy such as the wings, crest, beak and the area around the eyes. The drawing is based on a photo by Kelley Sampeck.

Information about the Great-Crested Flycatcher:

The Great-Crested Flycatcher is a large bird of the family Tyrannidae, reaching about 7–8 inches in length (17–21 cm) with a wingspan of around 13 inches (34 cm.) They usually weigh about 0.95–1.41 ounces (27–40 g.) As their name makes clear, this bird feed primarily on flying insects, which is it extremely adept at catching mid-flight. It will also feed on fruit and berries. They are the most widespread member of the genus Myiarchus. They live in forested areas, usually sticking to the treetops and are rarely seen on the ground. Their range is much of the Mid-West and eastern parts of North America. When nesting, this bird will often try and add a snakeskin to the nest. When this cannot be found, it will sometimes substitute a plastic wrapper.