8.0 inches long. The Great Crested Flycatcher is a medium to large sized flycatcher with brownish-olive upperparts and yellow underparts. The throat, face, and breast are gray. There are pale wing bars. The tail has extensive rufous. The base of the lower mandible is pale.
The Great Crested Flycatcher is a rather common summer resident and breeder in the Forest. It can appear by mid April and stay until late September.
The Great Crested Flycatcher is rather secretive and easily overlooked. It inhabits forests where it is most often heard before it is seen. When excited, it may raise crown feathers to form a crest. The Great Crested Flycatcher is the only cavity-nesting flycatcher of eastern North America. The main call note is “Whee-eep”.
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