SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
This small slim bird is 145mm long. It has grey-brown upper parts and off-white underparts. The crown, throat and breast are streaked with brown, which apparently makes it spotted! Both sexes are similar in appearance. Many birds take the occasional fly in mid-air, but flycatchers specialize in it. From an alert, upright position, on a perch with a view, spotted flycatchers, watch for flying insects. They dart out with a swooping flight, with bursts of wingbeats, catch the prey with rapid twists and then return quickly to their perch.
Spotted flycatchers, migrate North from wintering in Africa. They reach Kefalonia in the Spring and are here until the Autumn. They prefer open, wooded habitats to accommodate their hunting technique, so woods, parks and gardens are where to spot them. Their nest is an open cup of grass, leaves, moss and feathers, and can be found in a recess in a shrub or wall and sometimes, in open-fronted nest boxes. Due to the openness of their nests, they suffer heavy predation of their eggs and chicks, especially from jays. 3 to 5 eggs are laid from June to August, and if there is plenty of food, 2 broods are common.
