A Pied Flycatcher (Latin name: Ficedula hypoleuca) has been heard singing at the hide next to the tarn at RSPB Geltsdale. This summer visitor to the UK is slightly smaller than a House Sparrow, measuring about 13 cm in length and weighing between 12 and 15g, with a wingspan of between 21 and 24 cm. Males are mostly black on top, with white underneath and a bold white patch on their folded wing, while females have the same basic patterning, but are browner.
Pied Flycatchers arrive in the UK in the spring and breed in western areas (but not in Northern Ireland), then migrate to West Africa for the winter. They time their spring migration to arrive in the UK in time to feed their chicks on emerging caterpillars. They can be found in mature woodlands, parks and gardens from April to September, and may be seen sitting on a perch, waiting to fly out and catch flies in mid-air. They also search for insects on tree trunks and on the ground.
UK numbers of Pied Flycatchers declined around the year 2000, however this has since levelled off. The species is on the Amber List of UK Birds of Conservation Concern and protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.