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The Olive-sided Flycatcher has a large bill, and a heavy head. They are dull olive-brown, and have a dark breast and flanks with a white patch running down the centre. They have a broad notched tail, and white feather tufts that stick out from the lower back near the base of the tail. Inhabiting spruce bogs, the Olive-sided Flycatcher has a sad and distinctive song of “quick-three-beers”, as well as a loud “pip-pip-pip” call.
Feeding on flying insects, they help to keep down mosquito populations. A deadly predator, the Olive-sided Flycatcher is more efficient than the wolf or eagle. Sitting on a high, exposed or dead branch, it patiently watches for passing insects, spotting them at a distance of over 70 metres. Within seconds the Flycatcher snaps up the prey and returns to the perch. They are so quick and maneuverable that no insect is a match for this bird.
The Olive-sided Flycatcher generally nests in Algonquin Highlands’ evergreens, placing their nest of twigs, lined with lichens, mosses, and grasses near the end of a branch amongst the foliage. The female lays an average of three brown-spotted pale yellow eggs.
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OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
Contopus borealis
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