Listen to the European pied flycatcher
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the European pied flycatcher
The European pied flycatcher is a bird in the family Muscicapidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 22 cm and weigh around 12 g.
What does the European pied flycatcher sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as flight call, call and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. One of the four species of Western Palearctic black-and-white flycatchers, it hybridises to a limited extent with the collared flycatcher. It breeds in most of Europe and across the Western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering mainly in tropical Africa. It usually builds its nests in holes on oak trees.
This species practices polygyny, usually bigamy, with the male travelling large distances to acquire a second mate. The male will mate with the secondary female and then return to the primary female in order to help with aspects of child rearing, such as feeding.
Related birds in the genus Ficedula
More from the family Muscicapidae
Frequently asked questions
What does an European pied flycatcher sound like?
You can hear 4 recordings of the European pied flycatcher on this page, including its flight call, call and song. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the European pied flycatcher endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the European pied flycatcher as “least concern”.
What family does the European pied flycatcher belong to?
The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) belongs to the family Muscicapidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) (W1CDR0001423 BD1) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Arnhem, Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands by Joost van Bruggen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Chalmazel, Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Tammela, Forssa sub-region, Tavastia Proper, Finland by Olivier Grimm – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q27442 – CC0
- Wikipedia: European pied flycatcher – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Mark Medcalf – CC BY 2.0