Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Great Crested Flycatcher · Central Park · 21 September 2025
A Great Crested Flycatcher in Central Park in September with a cicada or a large moth gripped crosswise in the bill. It is a flycatcher of the treetops of the eastern woods, more often heard than seen, and in September it is passing through on its way to Central America.
Flycatchers hunt by sallying out from a perch after a single target rather than gleaning steadily like a warbler, and this one has just connected. Great Cresteds are the only eastern flycatcher that nests in a hole, and they line it, for reasons nobody has settled, with a shed snakeskin.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.