15 Facts About Ecuador’s Vermilion Flycatcher

The male vermilion flycatcher is a tiny bright red bird. He is a real attention grabber! The first one we saw was in the Galapagos Islands on Isabela Island. We have also seen them in the Yunguilla Valley, just south of Cuenca, Ecuador.

(Read more about living in Ecuador)

15 Facts About The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus Rubinus)

1. Can be found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central, and South America
2. The adult males are blackish-brown with a bright red head, neck, and underside
3. Their color fades in captivity
4. The adult females are light grey with a peach-colored belly
5. They grow to about six inches in length
6. The young male resembles the adult female
7. The young females have a yellow-colored belly
8. Their nests are made of twigs and lined with hair/feathers
9. They lay two to four whitish eggs
10. The male and female share in raising the young
11. The eggs hatch in about two weeks
12. The young leave the nest after only 15 days
13. They eat insects like grasshoppers, flies, dragonflies and beetles which they usually catch  in midair
14. They sometimes sing “peet-a-weet-a-weet, peet-peet“
15. Are normally found in arid areas with low-lying bushes, near a water source

The Male and Female Vermilion Flycatcher

The male stands out so much more than the female!

Male vermilion flycatcher

Female vermilion flycatcher

Close up of the male vermilion flycatcher

Close up of the female vermilion flycatcher

Have you seen vermilion flycatchers? Where did you see them? We would love to hear all about it in the comments on this post.

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Dena Haines

Hi, I’m Dena Haines. And I’m co-founder of Storyteller Travel. I love to cover food, animals, and destinations around the world.

I also blog about photography at Storyteller Tech.

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