Ash-throated Flycatcher

                                                                    Ash-throated Flycatcher

The Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) is a large tyrant flycatcher of the family, Tyrannidae.  It is listed as 'casual' here by the Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List.  We would see only one or two a year and none in some years.  At present (November, 2020) there is one in Grande Digue, NB, and one in Nova Scotia.  I recently saw and photographed the bird in Grande Digue and that was the third time I had seen one in New Brunswick.  The others were Lower Jemseg (25 Nov 2001) and Westfield (7 Dec 2001).  These two sightings may represent the same bird.  The first confirmed report of this species for New Brunswick was one from North Head, Grand Manan in November, 1985.  Another was from Alma (Nov. 1992) and others from Alma and Sackville in 2002.  There have been others since.

                                                                Ash-throated Flycatcher

The Ash-throated Flycatcher is a large flycatcher, smaller by 1 cm. than our regular summer resident, the Great Crested Flycatcher.  It is 19-22 cm (7.5 to 8.5 inches) long.  Since they are of the same genus (Myiarchus) they look very similar.  As the name implies, the Ash-throated is 'ashen' or lighter in colour.  It has olive-brown upperparts, a very pale gray throat and breast, and a gray-brown tail with rufous highlights.  The wing is blackish-brown with two subdued wing bars and rufous-edged primary wing feathers.  It has a pale yellow belly which is a distinguishing characteristic. The tail shows a dark tip underneath in the adult which helps identify it from other southwestern flycatchers.  Unfortunately none of the photos posted here show this characteristic.  The tail of the juvenile shows a lot of rufous colour.

This species is difficult to identify in its normal range because there are other similar species (Brown-crested and Dusky-capped Flycatchers).  The only flycatcher you would have to distinguish it from here is the Great Crested Flycatcher.  I must admit that I was the one that found the individual in Lower Jemseg in 2001 and I called it a Great Crested Flycatcher at first but it was evident this one was much lighter in colour.  That mistake was quickly corrected.  The important distinguishing feature is that the Ash-throated is much lighter all over and the yellow belly is very pale.  The Great Crested Flycatcher has a bright yellow belly.  

                                            Ash-throated Flycatcher  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The normal range for this species is the southwestern US and central Mexico in summer and in the winter it lives on the east and west coasts of Mexico.  It is a permanent resident of Baja California, northwestern Mexico and southern Texas.  So, that makes it a short-range migrant.  It flies a relatively short distance to its winter home.  So why does it end up here?  This species is known for its 'vagrants', i.e., individuals that wander after the breeding season and the late summer moult.  It is not unusual for them to appear on the Atlantic coast anywhere north of Florida.  Most of the vagrant Myiarchus flycatchers are Ash-throated Flycatchers.  So, if we see one here, it is most likely an Ash-throated.  The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher which appeared in New Brunswick recently is a different species (Myiodynastes).

                                                                Ash-throated Flycatcher

The Ash-throated Flycatcher feeds mainly on insects.  It flies out from a perch to capture them in the air or on the ground.  It will also feed on fruits, berries and, in its regular range, on small lizards.  The bird that is now in Grand Digue is feeding on insects and the berries of the Burning Bush plant.  The  Ash-throated Flycatcher calls frequently during the breeding season but much less during winter.  Its call is a ka-brick or a soft prrrrt.  It also has a long dawn song.

                                Ash-throated Flycatcher Showing Plumage from Below

The Ash-throated Flycatcher prefers desert scrub and riparian, oak or coniferous woodlands.  It is a cavity nester where it builds a loose cup nest of grass, rootlets, and grass stems lined with hair, fur and sometimes snake skins.  It will displace other birds from woodpecker holes to gain a nest site.  Three to seven white eggs streaked with brown are incubated by the female for 15 days.  

                                            Ash-throated Flycatcher  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The Ash-throated Flycatcher was first described as a separate species in 1851 by George Newbold Lawrence.  There are two recognized subspecies.  Its population numbers are stable.  The establishment of bluebird box trails in the US has helped.  Its generic name, Myiarchus, is a compound word derived from two Greek words meaning 'fly' and 'ruler' or 'chief'.  Its specific name, cinerascens, comes from Latin and means 'ashen'.  So it is well named; a ruler of flies which is ashen in colour!

Because this species is a cavity nester, I hope it uses some of our vacant bird boxes to help it withstand the cold which is surely coming.  Perhaps it will head south with a flock of robins which is what the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher has appeared to have done.