The Collared Flycatcher is a striking species of flycatcher found in the Old World. This is a migratory species that breeds across south-central portions of Europe and winters in southeastern Africa.
As indicated by their family name, these birds feed on flying insects. They also feed on non-flying insects like ants, spiders, and millipedes. Seeds and berries may also be consumed on occasion. Collared Flycatchers nest in cavities, using tree holes or nest boxes. During the nesting and fledgling stages, Collared Flycatchers may fall prey to
Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Through bird ringing (also called bird banding) we know that the oldest known wild Collared Flycatcher lived to nearly 8 years of age.
Conservation
The Collared Flycatcher is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2012 by BirdLife International. This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.