Pied flycatcher - juvenile or female? [Mönchengladbach, Germany] (1 Viewer)

[David_]

Hello,

I took this photo today near Mönchengladbach. Is this a female Pied flycatcher or a juvenile?

Thank you
David

 

[Butty]

Juvenile pied flycatchers are all spotty/scaly - despite what the books may (fail to) tell you - so it's not one of those. But if it's early enough for it to have moulted (I've no idea), it might be a 1st-winter - though I doubt you'd be able to tell that, in these photos, from an adult female.

 

[David_]

Thanks. My Guidebook (Collins) doesn‘t show juvenile plumage and an online image search didn‘t really help a lot.
As this was an really unexpected find (just 1km from my parents house and my father who is interested in birds wasn‘t aware of it) I was asking myself if it‘s just a single a female or if there might have been a breeding pair in the area.

 

[Butty]

My Guidebook (Collins) doesn‘t show juvenile plumage

Quite so. Rubbish, isn't it.

I'd guess it's a bit early for significant post-breeding dispersal, so presence is likely to indicate breeding nearby.

 

[David_]

I'd guess it's a bit early for significant post-breeding dispersal, so presence is likely to indicate breeding nearby

You are probably right.

My father will check the area a bit more frequently to see if there are other pied flycatchers around, as this is a bird you don‘t see in many places around here.