Eye-Catching, Fly-Catching, Winged-Wonders

9/27/17 - Lead Birder

Eye-Catching, Fly-Catching, Winged-Wonders

Have you ever wondered why there aren’t so many flies? Sure, there are still lots of flies, but they don’t overrun the world like they have the potential to. So where do they go?  Meet the Flycatcher family of birds, which is one of the larger families of birds. Their name represents well what they do.  They all have quality and definitely should be considered as useful, but I have chosen three that are common in the area: the Kingbird, the Phoebe, and the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. 

The Kingbird certainly is unique, even for his family, and his special ability, when you look at it closely, is really useful for us too.  This ability is where he gets the name, “Kingbird”.  Besides catching flies, he can successfully scare away any bird up to three times his size.  If you have chickens and you also have a Kingbird in your yard, don’t bother putting up netting over the top of the coop (unless your chickens are flying out all of the time).  The Kingbird will take care of any hawks or owls that try to steal the chickens because those birds are entering their nesting territory.  Don’t worry, the kingbird won’t chase you off.  You can recognize this flycatcher by its white belly and black back.  It eats 92% bad bugs, the rest is vegetables and fruits.  There’s a little-known secret about kingbirds: They have an orange and red crown hidden inside the top of their rounded heads. Because of His skillful ability to catch flying bugs, his relentless and fearless power to drive away any birds, and his creamy plumage that tells you looks can be deceiving, the Kingbird is altogether worthy of praise. 

Gentleness, its strong nest, and its ability to catch flies has won the Phoebe’s affection from its human neighbors.  Phoebes are smaller than robins, and it’s plumage is different too.  The bird’s back is light chocolate brown, but the stomach is white. One of the many (interesting) qualities of the phoebe is its splendidly strong nest.  The nest, which is usually built under a bridge, is mainly mad of fine grasses, moss, and mud.  Those looking for a fine song will find disappointment with the Phoebe.  The bird’s call, which is a simple two syllable note suggests either impatience of a sigh depending on whom you talk to. Don’t be confused, the Phoebe’s repetitious “Pheebee Pheebee” is similar yet different from the Peewee’s three syllable call.  The diet of the Phoebe is 3% good buds and the remaining 97% bad bugs.  Let the Phoebe nest under your bridge, in your barn, or occupy your shed.  It overpays the rent. 

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is perhaps the most graceful and beautiful birds in the U.S., even though it only occupies the the southern part of the country.  When you see a Scissor-tail, they are easy to recognize.  The plumage of the so-called “Texan bird of paradise” is almost entirely white, though there is some black around the head, and beautiful soft orange-red underneath the wings.  Another amazing part of the scissor tail is it’s wonderfully long scissor tail.  This long tail, which the bird opens and shuts whenever he is excited about anything, looks like a pair of scissors without the handles.  The Scissor tail may be territorial, but the rumors that the it eats the brains of other birds, are not true.  The amount of food for this particular flycatcher is less than one 1% beneficial bugs, 96% bad bug species, and 3% fruit and vegetable seeds.  Its beauty and its usefulness alone entitle it to complete protection.

Hopefully now you can probably guess where a lot of flies go.  These three birds are all part of the flycatcher family, which has about thirty individual groups.  The kingbird, phoebe, and scissor-tailed flycatcher are all common around here.  The Kingbird acts like a protective, territorial king.  The Phoebe is soft in manners yet strong in nest.  And my favorite, the Scissor-tailed flycatcher is a beautiful eye-catcher and eats many bad bugs.  Let’s wholeheartedly give a hand in making sure these three common flycatchers never get close to extinction.