12-7-2023 RIO SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

Small bird (approx 14 cm or 5.5 in), stylized and discreet. Greyish brown plumage on the back, lighter in the ventral area. It has a slight striated design on the head, throat and breast. Fine and long black bill, like the legs.

Not very dense groves with scrub, thickets and humidity. Forest edges, parks, gardens and urban environment.

Summer species present in Malaga only during the breeding season. It spends the winter south of the Sahara. The breeding begins at the end of May making an annual laying of 4 to 6 eggs. Nest in cavities of trees, walls, and even roofs. Strict insectivore, especially flying insects. Berries in autumn. The Spotted Flycatcher presents a very typical and distinctive behaviour of the species that usually makes it visible. From a perch (or roosting ground) it makes short flights to catch flies or mosquitoes and always returns to the same perch.

10-8-2021 ARANJEUZ, MADRID - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12971-Muscicapa-striata

14-8-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12971-Muscicapa-striata

5-7-2020 GANDIA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_flycatcher

15-6-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12971-Muscicapa-striata

14-8-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

13-5-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

The Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, is a modestly adorned yet charming small passerine bird belonging to the Old World flycatcher family. It is a migratory species, breeding across Europe and the Palearctic as far as Siberia, and spending the winter months in Africa and southwestern Asia. Despite its widespread presence, there is concern over its decline in certain areas.

Adult Spotted Flycatchers possess grey-brown upperparts and a somewhat pallid underbelly. Their crown and breast are streaked, which is the origin of their common name. They have short, black legs and a black bill shaped to suit their insectivorous diet. Juveniles can be distinguished by their browner plumage and the presence of spots on their upperparts.

These birds favor deciduous woodlands, parks, and gardens, particularly those with open spaces amidst trees.

The Spotted Flycatcher has a broad breeding range, extending from Europe to western Siberia and northwest Africa. During the non-breeding season, they migrate to southern Africa.

With an upright posture, these flycatchers are often seen hunting from prominent perches, darting out to snatch flying insects and frequently returning to the same spot.

The call of the Spotted Flycatcher is a soft, high-pitched, and slightly descending 'tssssseeeeeppppp'.

The Spotted Flycatcher constructs an open nest in a recess, often against a wall, and is amenable to using open-fronted nest boxes. Clutches typically consist of 4-6 eggs. Remarkably, they exhibit excellent egg recognition, a likely evolutionary response to past parasitism by the common cuckoo.

The Mediterranean flycatcher, previously considered a subspecies, is similar in appearance but has been recognized as a separate species due to genetic differences.

As aerial insectivores, Spotted Flycatchers feed on flying insects, which they catch in mid-air from their vantage points.

4-8-2016 OLIVA MARJAL, VALENCIA - SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (JUVENILE) (Muscicapa striata)

The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata ) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.

This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.

The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata ) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.

This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name. The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.

The spotted flycatcher is a small slim bird, around 14.5 cm (5.7 in) in length, with a weight of 14–20 g (0.49–0.71 oz). It has dull grey-brown upperparts and off-white underparts. The crown, throat and breast are streaked with brown while the wings and tail feathers are edged with paler thin margins. The subspecies M. s. tyrrhenica has paler and warmer plumage on the upperparts, with more diffuse markings on the head and breast. The sexes are alike. Juveniles have ochre-buff spots above and scaly brown spots below.

Spotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch. Their upright posture is characteristic.