Male Pied Flycatchers occasionally maintain two territories and two mates simultaneously — one of the most-studied examples of polygyny in birds.
They're a textbook study species for the impact of climate change: they migrate from Africa on a fixed photoperiod cue, but caterpillar peaks in Europe have shifted earlier, mismatching their nestling needs.
Pairs aggressively defend nest boxes against Great Tits, sometimes literally fighting over the same box for days.
Pied Flycatchers use nest boxes in mature deciduous woodland. Box trails in old oak woods can support whole populations.
Mount a 32mm hole box 2–4 m up on the trunk of a mature deciduous tree (oak, beech) in established woodland.
Mature deciduous canopy nearby; they avoid open suburbs and pure conifer.
Insects only. A no-pesticide environment supports nestling food (caterpillars).
Great Tits aggressively compete for the same boxes. Erecting boxes in pairs 30 m apart helps.
Don't expect them in young plantation; they need mature forest structure.
A long-distance migrant breeding across Europe and parts of western Asia, wintering in west Africa.
Common in mature deciduous and mixed forest throughout, north to southern Scandinavia.
Local but increasing breeder in oak woodland of Wales, western England, and Scotland.
Winters in the forest-savanna mosaic of West Africa, especially Senegal, Mali, and Ghana.
Mature oak and beech woodland with cavity-rich old trees. They take readily to nest boxes in such forest.
Body sized to 4"×4" floor. The 1⅛" panel locks out larger nest competitors while letting the Pied Flycatcher pass cleanly.
See the full lineupLong-distance migrant from sub-Saharan Africa — boxes drive a major fraction of UK breeding success.