November around NYC is a time to look for
vagrant species. One rare, but regular vagrant to the East Coast is the
Ash-throated Flycatcher. This "
myiarchus" flycatcher is common in the west breeding in desert scrub and riparian, oak, or coniferous woodland. Most winter on the Pacific slope from Mexico to Honduras. This fairly small flycatcher is superficially similar to the east coast's
Great Crested Flycatcher, which is noticeably larger, with a darker chest, brighter yellow belly, pale brown base of lower mandible and rufous to tip of tail feathers. Their diet consists primarily of insects, including caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, true bugs, and flies, also some as large as cicadas. They will also eat fruits and berries.
The IUCN Red List lists their conservation status as "
Least Concern".
They scientific name,
Myiarchus cinerascens, means ashen fly ruler.
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