Photo: Brendan Ryan from Canterbury, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Green-backed Flycatcher
Ficedula elisae
Green-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula elisae) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Green-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula elisae) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 13.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Ficedula
- Species elisae
Quick facts
- Weight
- 13.1 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Green-backed Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Green-backed Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Green-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula elisae) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL ne China.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 13.1 g, with a wing length of about 7.5 cm and a tail of around 4.7 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 272,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Green-backed Flycatcher?
The Green-backed Flycatcher is a very small bird that weighs around 13.1 g.
Where does the Green-backed Flycatcher live?
The Green-backed Flycatcher is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL ne China, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Green-backed Flycatcher belong to?
The Green-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula elisae) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Green-backed Flycatcher eat?
The Green-backed Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Green-backed Flycatcher migrate?
The Green-backed Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Green-backed Flycatcher endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Green-backed Flycatcher make?
1 real field recording of the Green-backed Flycatcher — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Green-backed Flycatcher's range?
The Green-backed Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 272,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Muscicapidae
A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.