The male Vermilion Flycatcher stands out like a crimson flame, pulsating brightly against a drab background of dark leaves. Its brilliant, glowing red body and head contrast sharply with a dark charcoal back, wings, and tail, along with a rakish eye mask that makes it look like a miniature bejeweled bandit.
Its female partner is much duller but equally distinctive, with gray-brown upperparts, a whitish breast with faint streaks, and a characteristic salmon-pink or yellowish wash on the belly. Juvenile birds start out quite streaky and progressively develop the traits of adult males or females.
Once a rare Southwest desert visitor to Orange County, the Vermilion Flycatcher has recently taken up year-round residence in Huntington Central and Fairview Parks, where intrepid males have established and now fiercely maintain breeding territories each spring with remarkable success.
Observers marvel at this flycatcher’s artful acrobatics as it repeatedly darts out from low- to mid-level branches, deftly catching flying insects with an air of consummate skill and ease.
Keep your eyes open for this bright, dazzling flycatcher as it continues to build its presence in our tree-filled parks and grassy sports fields.
Photos by James Kendall
Text compiled by Betty Kanne