CRESTED FLYCATCHER
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The crested flycatcher is the largest and noisiest of its family in the area of the Historic Triangle. No one can mistake the loud, raucous call that sounds throughout the hot summer months. John Burroughs, the noted naturalist, described the bird as the "wild Irishman" because of its propensity for noise and its erect crest of feathers.

The upper part of this good-looking bird is dark gray, changing to rusty brown on wings and tail. The underparts shade into a sulfur yellow that extends under the wings. The inner web of tailfeathers (except the middle pair) is brownish red.

The crested flycatcher creates additional interest because of a unique habit of always lining its nest with a fragment of cast-off snake skin. The reason has never been satisfactorily explained by men of science. Some writers say the snake skin is used to scare off enemies, but clear thinking does not reflect this theory: hawks and owls that prey on smaller birds catch live snakes; squirrels, rats and other vermin would probably not recognize the dried skins; and a snake looking for supper would hardly be frightened by its own cast-off skin.

An audible click of the beak is generally heard when the flycatcher closes in on an unlucky bug and the bird utters a strident call of victory as it returns to a perch high in a tree.

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