Vermillion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
Scientific Name: Pyrocephalus rubinus
Residency: Year-round in southwestern Arizona. In summertime, its range extends to southeastern, central and northwestern parts of state.
Diet: Aerial insects (mainly bees). Also eats terrestrial insects and other arthropods.
Predators: No information available.
Nesting: Female builds a shallow cup-shaped nest, usually in a fork of a horizontal tree branch (most often associated with mesquite trees, willows and cottonwoods). Nest is made of twigs and grasses, and lined with downy plant material, feathers and hair. She lays 2-4 white eggs with brown markings. One to two broods per year.
Nesting Records: Coon Bluff.
Notes: Male feeds female during incubation and brooding. The male and female are often seen together, and they are never far from water. Although this species is fairly common, populations are negatively affected by human water use and land development.
Photo: Male photographed at Coon Bluff on March 25, 2007. More photos from CNUW's biodiversity sites are available below. Click on an image to see a larger version.
Coon Bluff:
