Description
Male has olive-brown body and head crest, pale gray breast and throat, yellow abdomen, long rufous tail, and cinnamon wings with white wing bars (illustrated in NGS 1987). Measurements: length, 32.4-35.6 cm; mass, 28-42.5 g. Female is similar but may be duller. Immature/fledgling patterns are similar to the adult, colors may be duller.
NEST: bulky mass of twigs, leaves, hair, feathers, bark fibers, rope, or other trash; almost always includes cast-off snakeskin or cellophane pieces; a small cup for the eggs is formed in the trashy surroundings; lined with finer material and feathers.
EGGS: creamy-white, yellowish, or pinkish-white; marked with dark brown and purple, scratches, lines, streaks or blotches; markings are sometimes concentrated at one end, may almost obliterate ground color, or may be as fine hairlines, as if drawn by a pen. See Terres (1980), Harrison (1975), and Bent (1942).
Diagnostic Characteristics
Similar to western kingbird (TYRANNUS VERTICALIS), but kingbird has a longer, black tail, less conspicuous crest, and lacks the white wingbars (Terres 1980, Bent 1942).
Habitat
BREEDING: deciduous (mainly), mixed, or pine woodland or somewhat open forest (Hamel et al. 1982, Hamel 1992), parks, orchards, wooded residential areas, areas of scattered trees in cultivated regions, clearings and edges of wooded areas, and swamps. Frequents upper levels of trees. Research on canopy selection and flight length indicates a preference for open canopies where unhampered foraging flights can occur (Via 1979). Preferred perches are tall trees, but may also be found on utility lines and short shrub-like growth in recent clearcuts (Via 1979). Nests in natural cavity or old woodpecker hole in live or dead tree, average of 3-6 m above ground; also in bird box, pipe or similar cavity. Morrison (1988) suggested a preference for nestboxes that are hung from trees as opposed to stationary boxes; the former may be less likely to be used by starlings.
NON-BREEDING: prefers habitat similar to that used in breeding season (Hamel et al. 1982, Hamel 1992). Found mostly in lowland forest, woodland (AOU 1983), and humid to semiarid forest and edge (Howell and Webb 1995). In Colombia: humid forest borders, shrubby clearings, and second growth, occasionally canopy of undisturbed forest (Hilty and Brown 1986). In migration, found generally in wooded habitats (Howell and Webb 1995).
Ecology
Via (1979) compared habitat structure and foraging tactics of flycatchers in southwestern Virginia. His findings suggest that uniform forest types could harbor multiple species of flycatchers. Utilization of different habitat features may assist in segregation of overlapping territories. These segregating features include: vertical stratification of perches; habitat preference based on substrate diversity; and foraging tactics that exploit available resources. Longer foraging flights appear to segregate the great crested from other flycatchers. These foraging flights are associated with capture of larger prey.
May hold individual territory in winter (Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Reproduction
Males closely follow and may guard their mates during the fertile period (MacDougall-Shackleton and Robertson 1995). Taylor and Kershner (1991) reported that females build the nests. However, other reports indicate varying degrees of male assistance (Harrison 1975, Bent 1942). Nest building can take as long as two weeks. In central Florida, clutches were initiated from mid-April to early June, the latest clutches being renesting attempts by birds whose first nest was destroyed (Taylor and Kershner 1991). Clutch size is 4-8 (usually 5-6). Incubation, by female, lasts 13-15 days. Female broods hatchlings for 6 days. Young are tended by both parents (Morrison 1988), leave nest at 13-15 days (Taylor and Kershner 1991) or 12-18 days. Family group stays together for at least a few weeks after young fledge (Taylor and Kershner 1991, Terres 1980, Harrison 1975, Bent 1942). Taylor and Kershner (1991) reported one brood per season.