The plaintive whistle of this flycatcher is a comforting sound in the oak-pine woodlands and riparian forest of the desert southwest. This species sits on exposed branches at mid to high levels in the trees and flies out to catch passing insects in the air. It will also commonly hover in front of vegetation to snatch insects from the surface. The nest is in a natural tree hole or abandoned Cactus Wren nest.
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This large flycatcher is extremely noisy and inhabits the canopy of riparian forest in desert areas. It hawks insects on the wing and has been know to eat hummingbirds as well. In the late summer and winter it eats more fruit. An aggressive species, it defends its territory against many other bird species. Its nest is in a natural tree cavity or old woodpecker hole in a Saguaro Cactus. The Brown-crested Flycatcher abandons its summer range earlier than most migrants, and by August has returned to Mexico.
Common in scrubby forests of dry areas and lower foothills, the Ash-throated Flycatcher eats insects it catches with its broad bill in mid-air. In the fall and winter, it also eats fruits. The nest is in a hole of a tree, Saguaro Cactus or fence post, and occasionally the adults add a cast snake skin to its lining of fur and feathers. It has been known to drive woodpeckers from their holes to take over a cavity.