Birdwatching - 3170🐦

🦉 The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

• Ficedula fi cedulinus (medieval lat.): “A small bird that feeds on figs and turns into a black-headed warbler in winter ”(from: Jobling, 2010)
• hypoleuca hypoleucos Greek: hypo below, a little, leukos white, hypoleukos whitish

The male has a distinctive black and white contrasting coloration, true to its name: the upperparts are black, while the underparts, forehead, and wing stripes are white. However, it's not that simple. Males can have several shades of black, from light to dark brown. Females and young males lack black; they are brown and gray.

This bird is widespread in various types of forests, parks, and gardens. The primary nesting site is the presence of hollow trees, although various crevices in hollow trees will also do. It feeds primarily on flying insects, observing them from a perch and catching them in the air. They can also collect insects from branches.