Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taken at Boot, Cumbria, on June 25th 2018. (1/100th sec at f14. © David Hastings) DescriptionL: 13.5 - 15 cm; WS: 23 - 25cm A small, rather slim passerine, lacking obvious features. It has dull grey-brown upperparts, off-white underparts and dark streaking on the breast. The bill is dark, fairly long and strong. The sexes are similar. It is widely found in Europe, but is a summer visitor, wintering in Africa. It breeds in gardens, parks and in forests, often with small glades and openings. It flies from a high perch, dashes out to grab a flying insect and returns to the same spot. It has Red status on the UK list owing to population decline. There are around 38000 territories in the UK. Sightings
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