flycatcher

American  

[flahy-kach-er] / ˈflaɪˌkætʃ ər /

noun

1. any of numerous Old World birds of the family Muscicapidae, that feed on insects captured in the air.

2. Also called tyrant flycatcher.  any of numerous similar American birds of the family Tyrannidae.

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flycatcher British  

/ ˈflaɪˌkætʃə /

noun

1. any small insectivorous songbird of the Old World subfamily Muscicapinae , having small slender bills fringed with bristles: family Muscicapidae See also spotted flycatcher

2. any American passerine bird of the family Tyrannidae

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Etymology

Origin of flycatcher

First recorded in 1590–1600; fly ¹ + catcher

Example Sentences

For an olive-sided flycatcher, migration can be a marathon.

From New York Times • Aug. 28, 2023

It’s also habitat for desert bighorn sheep, and birds including the threatened western yellow-billowed cuckoo and the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher.

From National Geographic • Aug. 8, 2023

The work, namely noise from the helicopter, also can’t interrupt the breeding season for the Mexican spotted owl, the southwestern willow flycatcher and other endangered species.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2023

Wingspan, by contrast, is bright and lively, its cover featuring a scissor-tailed flycatcher against the backdrop of a blue sky.

From Slate • Aug. 15, 2021

In the Field Guide to African Birds left by our fowl-minded patron Brother Fowles, my bird is called the paradise flycatcher.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver