Definition

Noun 1. A small songbird that catches insects in flight: Any of numerous small, often brightly colored, perching birds belonging to the family Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers) or Tyrannidae (New World flycatchers/tyrant flycatchers), characterized by their behavior of catching flying insects from a perch.

Usage

• The term "true flycatcher" is used by ornithologists and birdwatchers to distinguish these specific insectivorous birds from other birds that may catch flies but belong to different families (e.g., some warblers).
• It is a common name applied to many species within the two primary families.

Examples

• The true flycatcher sat motionless on the branch, waiting to dart out and catch a passing insect.
• Bird guides often separate the Old World and New World true flycatchers due to their different evolutionary lineages.
• We observed a spotted true flycatcher returning repeatedly to the same perch.

Advanced Usage

• The classification of true flycatchers is complex. While the name is traditionally used for birds in the families Muscicapidae and Tyrannidae, modern taxonomy sometimes places Old World flycatchers in a broader superfamily.
• The term can be used in a technical, descriptive sense: "The bird's hawking behavior is characteristic of a true flycatcher."

Variants and Related Words

• Flycatcher (n.): A more general, common term that is often synonymous with "true flycatcher" in casual use but can be less precise scientifically.
• Old World flycatcher (n.): A true flycatcher of the family Muscicapidae, found in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
• Tyrant flycatcher (n.) / New World flycatcher (n.): A true flycatcher of the family Tyrannidae, found in the Americas.
• Muscicapidae (n.): The scientific family name for Old World flycatchers.
• Tyrannidae (n.): The scientific family name for New World tyrant flycatchers.

Synonyms

• Insectivorous songbird: A descriptive synonym highlighting its diet and classification.
• Hawker: A term describing its hunting method of sallying from a perch.

Related Phrases

• To sally forth: This phrase describes the hunting flight of a true flycatcher, where it flies out from a perch to catch an insect and returns.
  • The flycatcher would sally forth from its branch every few minutes.

Noun

1. any of a large group of small songbirds that feed on insects taken on the wing