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Birding/identification help

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Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/16/2009


Question

identity unkown
My name is Joy. We live in the National forest of central Florida.
We have numerous bird feeders and nesting boxes
on our property,the one in the photo attached to a tree-& is aprox. 18 ft above ground.In past yrs other birds have used this box. This year (sometime mid may) a pair of birds which we do not recognize has taken to the box.
They are basically  a brownish gray coloration  above with some white markings and  a med. yellow underbody. Unfortunately, they seem to be a shy bird often turning their back to you or retreating quickly into the box or thickest part of a tree, so I cannot say  how much the coloration  covers  different portions of thier body.
There is an intersting  ruffled crest (?) atop the head

A combination of  lots surrounding  trees & The birds being very swift flyers has made making out any sort of flight pattern difficult.   Also, we see the birds but do hear any discernable song / call.  
From the best we can tell it seems as tho only one bird stays in the box, while the other stays  nearby in the tree.
Two weeks ago this pair ( or perhaps another  of the same kind ) have been flying to and checking out our owl box which is aprox 23 ft above ground.     
We have never seen the birds come to any of our feeders.
Any  possible thoughts /help/ insight would be appreciated.
   Thank you in advance.

Answer
This is the Great Crested Flycatcher, I'm sure. They feed almost exclusively on insects and so you won't see them at your bird feeder.    Many Great Crested Flycatcher nests contain shed snakeskin. Other crinkly materials, such as plastic wrappers, cellophane, and onion skin, may be used.
   The Great Crested Flycatcher is a bird of the treetops. It spends very little time on the ground, and does not hop or walk. It prefers to fly from place to place on the ground rather than walk.
  The Great Crested Flycatcher makes the same "wee-eep" calls on the wintering grounds in Central and South America that it makes in summer. The head crest of the Great Crested Flycatcher is noticeable in the field, and gives this bird its name.

Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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