You’re sitting comfortably in your garden chair, listening to the bustling feeding of the great tits – and suddenly the drama starts. A Spotted Flycatcher darts up, chases the tit away from its nesting box, snarls, barks, and sometimes just flies bows of indignation. This isn’t a hunting scene, it’s not a coincidence – it’s entirely intentional. As can be seen in the blog photo, the flycatcher even becomes “physical.” The Spotted Flycatcher doesn’t tolerate any interference in its territory, especially during the breeding season.
The Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) is a small, inconspicuous member of the flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). Despite its simple plumage and quiet demeanor, it displays strikingly territorial and aggressive behavior during the breeding season, especially towards cavity-nesting species like the Great Tit (Parus major).
The territorial behavior of the Spotted Flycatcher begins as soon as it arrives in the breeding area, usually in April. Males claim a breeding territory, which they mark with characteristic perches. Within this area, they do not tolerate breeding activities by competing species, even if they are not direct food competitors. Territorial defense is particularly fierce against species located in the immediate vicinity of their own nest.
Attacks on Great Tits are frequently observed when they are feeding near a Spotted Flycatcher nesting site. The Spotted Flycatcher attacks deliberately, harassing the feeding adults with rapid dives, driving them away from the nest box, or repeatedly flying over them. This behavior presumably serves not only to protect their own brood but also to secure exclusive food resources in the immediate vicinity of the nest.
Despite its smaller body size, the Spotted Flycatcher acts with great vehemence in these confrontations. Great Tits are left with only cautious avoidance behavior, even going so far as to first approach another, somewhat more distant nesting box before – once the coast is clear – approaching the actual brood. Studies and observations suggest that this behavior is particularly pronounced in structurally rich habitats with intense competition for breeding sites. The aggression is not directed against young birds or nests, but primarily against adults of other species.
The territoriality of the Spotted Flycatcher thus encompasses not only the defense against conspecific rivals, but also interspecific competition. Through vigorous territory defense, the Spotted Flycatcher attempts to minimize potential disturbances during the rearing phase and maximize reproductive success. This behavior illustrates how intensely contested ecological niches and spatial demands can be, even among supposedly “peaceful” small birds.
At least this behavior allowed for some action shots with the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lens on the Canon R 5. For this, the electronic shutter was used at up to 1/3200 sec. While initially working with Tv (aperture priority) at maximum aperture, the first images showed blur due to the extremely shallow depth of field. So I switched to M (manual) and mostly used aperture 8 – still at 1/3200 sec. – and allowed for proper exposure by adjusting the automatic ISO. The electronic shutter can increase the maximum frame rate for continuous shooting. In the EOS R5, for example, the frame rate increases from 12 fps (frames per second) with the mechanical shutter to 20 fps with the electronic shutter.
The biggest potential problem with electronic shutters is the rolling shutter effect. Since image information is read piecemeal from the sensor pixels, a very fast-moving subject can shift during the time it takes to read the entire sensor. This causes the subject to appear distorted in the final image. However, as can be seen in the images of the flying Spotted Flycatcher in the gallery, this adverse effect is very limited.
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