Red-breasted Flycatcher

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Red-breasted Flycatcher in the UK

The Red-breasted Flycatcher is a scarce passage migrant. It does not breed in Britain. Around 100 are found each year, nearly all in autumn, with a few in late spring. It breeds from central Europe east to the Urals and winters in south Asia, so British birds are off-course migrants that have headed west instead of south-east. Most are first-winter birds without any red. The first British record was in Cornwall in 1863. Numbers vary a lot with the weather: easterly winds in late September and October bring the biggest arrivals.

Where and when to see a Red-breasted Flycatcher

East and south coasts and the islands, from mid September to late October. Shetland, Orkney, the coast from Northumberland to Norfolk, and the Isles of Scilly take most. Look in sheltered coastal cover: sycamores, churchyards, gardens, willow scrub and the lee side of any clump of trees near the sea. Go the morning after easterly winds with drizzle or fog. It keeps to the shady mid canopy and darts out after flies. Inland records are unusual. News comes through the bird information services and local sightings pages.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Coastal scrub (autumn).
Diet: Insects.
Field note: White tail-flashes; Robin-like male.

How to identify a Red-breasted Flycatcher

Smaller than a Robin and more compact, with a rounded head and a big dark eye ringed with white. The best mark is the tail: black with a white panel on each side at the base, shown as the bird cocks the tail up and flicks its wings. Most birds in Britain are first-winters: plain grey-brown above, cream-buff across the breast, with a thin pale wingbar. Adult males have a grey head and a small orange-red bib on the throat and upper breast, but take two years or more to get it, so red birds are few here.

Call and song

Often heard before seen. The usual call is a dry, slurred rattle, "drrrrt", like a quiet, shortened Wren. Also a soft "tek" and a plaintive whistle. It does not sing in Britain in autumn. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• European Pied Flycatcher: Pied Flycatcher is larger with a big white wing patch and white only on the outer tail edges, not bold panels at the tail base.
• European Robin: A Robin's red covers the face and whole breast and its tail is plain brown with no white.
• Taiga Flycatcher: This extreme rarity has an all-dark bill, jet-black uppertail coverts and a faster, drier rattle.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Red-breasted Flycatcher is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Taiga FlycatcherLegendary · Coastal scrub (very rare)
• Mugimaki FlycatcherLegendary · Coastal trees (extreme vagrant)
• Collared FlycatcherEpic · Mature trees (very rare)
• European Pied FlycatcherUncommon · Western oakwoods (summer)
• BluetailRare · Coastal scrub (autumn vagrant)
• Dusky WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (autumn vagrant)

Red-breasted Flycatcher: quick answers

Where can I see a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the UK?

Coastal trees and scrub on the east coast, Northern Isles or Scilly in autumn. There is no reliable site: each bird is a migrant that stays a day or a week. Follow the bird news during spells of easterly wind in late September and October.

Is the Red-breasted Flycatcher rare in the UK?

It is scarce, not a true rarity. Roughly a hundred a year means it is not judged by the national rarities committee, but most birders in inland counties will never find one locally. A coastal patch watcher on the east coast can expect one every few autumns.

Why do most Red-breasted Flycatchers in Britain have no red breast?

Because most are young birds on their first migration. Only adult males have the orange-red throat, and they do not gain it until at least their second year. Young birds and females are buff below, so the white tail panels are what you identify them by.

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