Flycatcher Bird Houses

The Great Crested Flycatcher breeds east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and in some southern portions of Canada. Great Crested Flycatchers inhabit mature deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, preferring to nest in the clearings and edges of wooded areas, orchards, parks, swamps and cultivated areas scattered with trees. The breeding season may begin anywhere from mid-March to mid-June, depending upon the latitude. Often competing with European Starlings for nest sites, Great Crested Flycatchers nest in deep, natural tree cavities, deserted woodpecker holes and nest boxes. Nests are found in a variety of tree species from 3 to 70 feet above the ground, although most are below 20 feet. Great Crested Flycatchers exhibit extreme site fidelity and return to the same nest site season after season. Great Crested Flycatcher Houses should be mounted 3 to 20 feet high on a post or tree at the edge of the woods.

Ash-throated Flycatchers are fairly common, and in some places quite abundant, throughout most of the western United States and Mexico. The breeding range extends as far north as Oregon and Washington, as far east as central Texas, and as far south as central Mexico. Ash-throated Flycatchers are generalists when it comes to breeding habitat. They breed in chaparral, mesquite thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti, deserts, and open deciduous and riparian woodlands. Ash-throated Flycatchers arrive on the breeding grounds as early as March in Texas and California, April in New Mexico, and May in Washington. It is unknown how soon after they arrive that they begin to breed, but egg dates show that breeding can begin as early as mid-March in southern California and May in Arizona and Texas. Ash-throated Flycatchers are as indiscriminate about nest sites as they are about breeding habitat. Nests are found 3 to 20 feet off the ground in natural cavities, including tree cavities, hollow stumps, cacti, abandoned woodpecker holes, and behind loose bark. Nests can also be nestled in the dry floral stems of yucca or agave plants. Ash-throated Flycatcher Houses should be mounted 3 to 20 feet high in open habitats.