Feeding Behavior

Forages mostly by watching from a perch, then making short flights out to capture insects, returning to perch to eat them. Takes most insects from foliage while hovering briefly; also catches some in mid-air. Does much of its foraging within the shady canopy of tall trees.

Eggs

4-6. Whitish to buff, heavily blotched with brown. Incubation is by female; incubation period not well known. Young: Both parents bring food for nestlings. Young leave nest about 3 weeks after hatching.

Young

Both parents bring food for nestlings. Young leave nest about 3 weeks after hatching.

Diet

Includes insects and berries. Diet not well known. In summer in United States, probably feeds mostly on insects. Also known to eat many small fruits and berries, perhaps especially in southern parts of range.

Nesting

Male defends nesting territory by singing. Has a thin, rhythmic "dawn song," usually heard only before sunrise. Nest: Usually suspended at the end of a long hanging branch, under the shady canopy of a large tree (sycamore or cottonwood in Arizona), up to 50' above the ground. Nest (built mostly by female, with some help from male) is a very large globular mass of vegetation, with the entrance low on one side; made of bark strips, grass, weeds, vines, spiderwebs, and other materials. More material may be added even after incubation begins.