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tyrant flycatcher

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fly⋅catch⋅er

[flahy-kach-er]
–noun
1. any of numerous Old World birds of the family Muscicapidae, that feed on insects captured in the air.
2. Also called tyrant flycatcher. any of numerous similar American birds of the family Tyrannidae.

Origin:
1590–1600; fly 2 + catcher
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fly·catch·er   (flī'kāch'ər, -kěch'-)   
n.  
  1. Any of various Eurasian birds of the family Muscicapidae that feed on insects, usually catching the insects in flight.

  2. Any of various similar American birds of the family Tyrannidae. Also called tyrant flycatcher.

tyrant flycatcher  
n.  See flycatcher.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

tyrant flycatcher

any of about 367 species of aggressive, insect-eating New World birds of the family Tyrannidae (order Passeriformes). About one-third of the species are not flycatcher-like in habit and bear names derived from their habitats (e.g., bush tyrant, marsh tyrant) or from their similarity to the songbird groups (tit-tyrant, shrike-tyrant). A few are named for their bill shape (spade bill, flat bill, bent bill). Many have common names not suggestive of their appearance (e.g., phoebe, pewee, kingbird).

Learn more about tyrant flycatcher with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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