European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleuca (Pallas, 1764)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. One of the four species of Western Palearctic black-and-white flycatchers, it hybridises to a limited extent with the collared flycatcher. It breeds in most of Europe and across the Western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering mainly in tropical Africa. It usually builds its nests in holes on oak trees.
This species practices polygyny, usually bigamy, with the male travelling large distances to acquire a second mate. The male will mate with the secondary female and then return to the primary female in order to help with aspects of child rearing, such as feeding.
The European pied flycatcher is mainly insectivorous, although its diet also includes other arthropods. This species commonly feeds on caterpillars, flies, spiders, ants, bees and similar prey.
The European pied flycatcher has a very large range and population size and so it is of least concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Wikipedia contributors, European pied flycatcher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:48:39.537220+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ficedula hypoleuca (Pallas, 1764)
- Name authority
- (Pallas, 1764)
- Common name
- European Pied Flycatcher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Ficedula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMuscicapidae Fleming, 1822
- genusFicedula Brisson, 1760
- speciesFicedula hypoleuca (Pallas, 1764)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ficedula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-breasted FlycatcherFicedula parva (Bechstein, 1792) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Palawan FlycatcherFicedula platenae (W. Blasius, 1888) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-and-orange FlycatcherFicedula nigrorufa (Jerdon, 1839) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-throated FlycatcherFicedula rufigula (Wallace, 1865) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ficedula riedeli (Büttikofer, 1886) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Snowy-browed FlycatcherFicedula hyperythra (Blyth, 1843) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sumba FlycatcherFicedula harterti (Siebers, 1928) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Damar FlycatcherFicedula henrici (Hartert, 1899) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Narcissus FlycatcherFicedula narcissina (Temminck, 1836) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ficedula albicilla (Pallas, 1811) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cryptic FlycatcherFicedula crypta (Vaurie, 1951) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-chested FlycatcherFicedula dumetoria (Wallace, 1864) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=560081 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6HWGP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.