Vermilion Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus rubrinus

Fellow bird nut, artist and friend Gennine Zlatkis of Gennine's Art Blog fame, has been posting amazing photos recently of Vermilion Flycatchers she has been spotting around her home in Mexico. The males are so brightly colored, they almost don't seem real. Anyway, I kept seeing images of these crimson fellows on Geninne's blog, and eventually couldn't resist the urge to do a painting of one!

In addition to being quite common in Mexico, Pyrocephalus rubrinus can be seen here in the States in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They prefer riparian habitat, and thus often spotted in woodland habitats along streams and rivers. Like other flycatcher species, Vermilions forage by sitting and waiting on exposed perches, and then employ a number of aerial acrobatics to pick off various arthropods out of the air.

If you have been living under a stone, and haven't seen Geninne's blog or her art yet, get your hiney over there. It's one of my favorites, as Geninne is amazingly talented, and truly generous in sharing her work and home.