Maybe it’s climate change, range expansion or just a fluke, but we’re seeing more Vermilion Flycatchers in Florida.
These brilliant birds can be spotted year-round in Mexico and also parts of Texas, the U.S. Southwest and and Central America. It’s not unheard of to see them in Florida, but they’re definitely a rarity. Still, a female and male have been visiting Orlando Wetlands each winter and early spring for two years, and there have been sightings of others in the region, too.
They’re pretty easy to spot, especially the males.
“A feathered ember in a desert landscape, the male Vermilion Flycatcher is exactly what its name says: a brilliant red bird that hawks flying insects from conspicuous perches on shrub tops and fences,” AllAboutBirds.org notes. “Females are delightful in their own way, subtle gray-brown birds with a warm salmon-red blush to the underparts.”
Here are some shots of a female Vermilion from Orlando Wetlands and a male from Emeralda Marsh in Lake County. (The male at Orlando Wetlands has been staying in a part of the facility this year that is closed to the public.)
