Piratic Flycatcher
Legatus leucophaius
About This Species
This small Neotropical flycatcher is best known for taking over other birds' nests rather than building its own, so look for it near active oriole or kiskadee nests in forest edges and clearings. It perches upright and conspicuously in the open canopy, often on an exposed branch, and gives a distinctive repeated shrill call that draws attention. It is most active and vocal during the breeding season when it is contesting nest sites.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch from a distance with binoculars rather than approaching the nest itself, since the surrounding conflict over nest ownership already puts stress on multiple birds without added disturbance.
- Protections for wild birds vary considerably across its range through Central and South America, so rely on the general principle of minimal disturbance rather than any single country's rule.
- Avoid handling or approaching any active nest, whether the flycatcher's or the host species'.
LCAvesPasseriformesTyrannidae
Seasonal Activity
227,100 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
Photo
(c) Nancy Overholtz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Nancy Overholtz
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.