Species › Birds

European Pied Flycatcher

Ficedula hypoleuca

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Presence in the Strait: Migrant
Abundance: abundant
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Papamoscas cerrojillo

49% of its open observations in the area are from September.

Photograph: ViiruPesonen, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 13 cm
Weight: 14 g

Presence in the Strait

Abundant migrant.

Identification

Males are black and white in breeding plumage and female-like in winter, when the black is substituted for greyish-brown, but with darker wings with a large white patch and also white on the forehead. The Iberian population has an all black tail, larger white patch on the forehead and some white on the rump.

Movements

During prenuptial migration, males peak in 2nd hf. April and females in 1st hf. May; no differences during postnuptial migration, with peaks in 2nd hf. September.

Ring recoveries

Finland (22), Sweden (12), Germany (6), United Kingdom (5), Norway (4), France (3), Russia (3), Latvia (2), Estonia (1), Denmark (1), Spain (1), Morocco (1) and Switzerland (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

49 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 29 April 1921
Latest record: 8 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

62 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Finland22
Sweden12
Germany6
United Kingdom5
Norway4
France3

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Red-breasted Flycatcher11.5–11.5 cm · Vagrant

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
GBIF taxon key: 2492606

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: ViiruPesonen, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

European Pied Flycatcher

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery