Chasing Rarities: A Vermilion Flycatcher in Stanislaus County

Or, I should say, the Vermilion Flycatcher in Stanislaus County; there is only one! 

From my point of view as a naturalist, experiencing any type of animal - bird or otherwise - in the wild is a moment to be cherished.  But like most birders, there are certain species and certain events that tend to rise above the mockingbirds and mallards and really cause a thrill.  Birds that are particularly rare, difficult to see, or especially beautiful generally make these moments shine in one's memory and stand out as treasured life experiences.

First spotted at Dawson Lake (near the small foothill town of La Grange) during a Christmas Bird Count on December 30th, this brilliant male Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)* has been causing quite the stir in the local birding community.  And I certainly see what all the fuss is about!

Seeing this exquisitely beautiful little bird, unbelievably red against a background of winter grays and browns, is a sight I will never forget.

Though certainly not difficult to see (they're not exactly camouflaged), Vermilion Flycatchers are definitely rare this far north and are without question exceedingly beautiful!  This bird is only the fourth recorded Vermilion Flycatcher in Stanislaus County; the most recent Vermilion Flycatcher in the county was seen five years ago.  Currently there is one male Vermilion Flycatcher hanging out in Santa Clara County, another in Colusa County, a female all the way up in Humboldt County, and a female (that I've looked for a few times with no luck) in Merced County, at Merced National Wildlife Refuge.

All of these birds are well north of their expected range, which extends from Southern California and across the Southwest, through Central and South America.  (See their range map here.)  In Southern California, they are year-round residents.  It seems that most vagrants that show up in the north do so during the winter, between November and February.

For about 25 minutes, we watched this Vermilion Flycatcher "flycatching," the term for the typical behavior exhibited by flycatchers as they sally out from their perch to catch flying insects and return to the same perch.  (Perhaps more familiar, Black Phoebes behave the same way, and two were hanging out in the same area).  One of this male's preferred perches was about 50 yards away, another 100 yards, and the farthest approximately 150 yards from the side of the road where I was standing.  Private property prevents birders from getting closer, and accounts for the grainy, extremely zoomed-in photos!

In their regular range, Vermilion Flycatchers inhabit riparian woodlands, scrub areas, dry grasslands, deserts and even some cultivated areas, most common near water.  Here in Stanislaus County, a patch of oak savannah adjacent to a large stock pond (known as Dawson Lake) seems suitable enough!  Their prey consists of insects, which they snatch from the air while flying, swooping down low along the ground or rising up to about 30 feet in the air.

The Vermilion Flycatcher is fairly common in most of its range, and its populations are stable.  Habitat degradation or loss is a concern (as it is for most species!).  Numbers of Vermilion Flycatchers have dropped in the lower Colorado River Valley due to water use and land development, which is the story for many animals of that region.  However, there may be good news on the horizon, as this article from the National Audubon Society describes.

*A fun note about why I love Latin and "latinized" Greek in scientific nomenclature:
The Vermilion Flycatcher's Latin name is "Pyrocephalus rubinis."  It's too perfect!  Do you see why?

Broken down, it literally translates to "Fire-head red." 

"Pyro" = fire (Greek)  ...As in pyromaniac
"Cephalus" = head (Greek)  ...As in cephalopod (the group of mollusks that includes octopi and squid; the name literally means "head-foot")
"Rubinis" = red (Latin) ...As in Quercus rubra (Red Oak) and Festuca rubra (Red Fescue)

You'll never forget this "Fire-head red" flycatcher's scientific name now!