Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is  “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!

Endemic Bird of the Day: La Sagra’s Flycatcher

Weep. A pause. Weep. A pause. Weep. You hear the sound of wings fluttering briefly and the clickety-clack of a beak snapping shut. The weeping continues. 

You peek outside and see a medium-sized, nondescript flycatcher perched, leaning forward, on a low branch. It has a brown-gray head, back, and wings (with two inconspicuous wingbars), a grayish-white underside (sometimes tinged with yellow), and reddish-brown tail and primaries. Perhaps its short crest, reminiscent of a Troll doll, is puffed up, but otherwise the bird is unremarkable…until it launches itself from its perch, snags an insect you didn’t even notice from a branch, U-turns with a backflip, and neatly returns to its perch, displaying acrobatics that would rival the Cirque du Soleil. 

The La Sagra’s Flycatcher (Myiarchus sagrae) is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family, which is the largest family of birds in the world, comprising more than 400 species. The La Sagra’s range includes The Bahamas and Grand Cayman (local name Tom Fool) and Cuba (local name Bobito Grande). Across these islands, it inhabits nearly all ecosystems including pine forests, mangrove wetlands, and coppice (evergreen broadleaf forests). There are also records of it in southern Florida, where it is considered a rare vagrant. Typically identified first by its one-note weep call rather than by sight, listen out also for its weep–piri song. 

This bird really lives up to the name ‘flycatcher’! First, its diet consists primarily of insects. Beetles, caterpillars, moths, katydids, and even dragonflies are favourites, but they are also known to eat fruits and seeds when necessary. Second, the La Sagra’s Flycatcher hunts via “hawking” or “sallying,” where a bird watches for insect prey from a perch, flies off to grab it on the wing, and returns to devour its catch.

During the breeding season, April to July, they build cup-shaped nests using hair, plant fibers and other soft materials in the cavities of tree trunks, broken branches, and even bamboo stalks! Clutch size varies from 2 and 4 eggs.

The La Sagra’s Flycatcher is not threatened but as noted by the IUCN, its population is  decreasing. This is likely due to habitat destruction caused by catastrophic hurricanes and unsustainable development. A decrease in the supply of its favourite food—insects, caused by excessive use of insecticides for pest control, is also responsible for its decline. 

You can take action to conserve both birds and insects. Whether you have a backyard, garden, or just a balcony planter, provide a haven for the right insects by planting with native plants. And if you do spot any pests in your garden, use nontoxic methods to get rid of them (e.g., neem oil). If we all do our part, birds like the insect-loving La Sagra’s Flycatcher will continue to thrive and provide enjoyment to all.

Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here. Great news! If you’re in the Caribbean, thanks to BirdsCaribbean, you have free access to Birds of the World and you can find out even more in the full species account of this bird!

Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Giselle Dean for the text!

Colour in the La Sagra’s Flycatcher

Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest

Listen to the call of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher

The calls of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher include a quick “sweet” and whistled “whit-it, did-id-oo.”

Puzzle of the Day

Click on the image below to do the puzzle.  You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8,  or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS : Have you ever wondered what birds live in your backyard? Have you thought about how many birds might be there? Well, today’s “Backyard Bird Blitz” activity is going to help you answer those questions!

Telling the difference between different species of birds can be tricky but we have some tips to help you sort them in them into ‘types’ of bird, which is a really great starting point. We’ve also got some great advice on the best way to count the birds in your backyard. Just download our simple instructions, find a comfy spot with a great view of the birds in your yard or garden and get started!

If you need more help trying to identify birds down to which species they are you could try looking in a local bird field or ID guide or take a look on eBird Caribbean to see if you can find the birds you have been seeing. If you live in the Caribbean you may also spot one of your wonderful endemic birds enjoying your backyard!

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS :  Enjoy this video of a La Sagra’s Flycatcher in the wild!