Mosquero Cardenal

Description:

Vermillion flycatcher adult males are a bright scarlet or "vermilllion" color on the top of their head and on underparts. They have a dark-brown mask that covers the face, ear-coverts, and nape of neck. The top of the wings and the tail are also blackish-brown. Adult females are grayish-brown on the top of their head, ear-coverts, and wings and tail. They are darkest at the tail and they have a superciliary grayish-white stripe on their face. Their underparts are whitish but become pale red. Their breast is streaked with gray, as well as their sides (Wolf and Jones 2000). Immature females are similar to the adult female except that they have yellowish posterior underparts. Immature males look similiar to adult females during the summer of the second calendar year, but their underparts are salmon pink or pale-orange red in color (Wolf and Jones 2000).

Habitat:

The Vermillion Flycatcher's range extends from the southwestern United States down through Mexico, Central America, and as far south as Argentina (Wolf and Jones 2000). The Vermillion flycatcher prefers open habitats such as arid scrubland, farmland, desert, savannah, cultivated lands, and riparian woodland settings. Specifically, their nests can be found in willows (Salix spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), cottonwoods (Populus spp.), mesquites (Prosopis spp.), and sycamores (Platanus spp.) lining streams. However they are not found in areas with a dense canopy of Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and mesquite understory (Carothers 1974).