- Lifespan
- 2–8 years in the wild, typically 3–4 years
- Size & Weight
- 12–13 cm, wingspan 21–24 cm; 12–16 g
- Habitat
- Open woodlands, parks, gardens, and orchards with scattered trees and open perches for hunting flying insects.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland from May to September; absent in winter as it migrates to sub-Saharan Africa.
- Diet
- Exclusively insectivorous, feeding almost entirely on flying insects caught in flight.
- Prey
- Small flying insects including flies, gnats, midges, small moths, and small beetles; occasionally supplements with small spiders.
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, Eurasian Kestrels, and domestic cats; eggs and chicks vulnerable to Magpies, Jays, and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
- Mating Season
- May to August
- Breeding
- Clutch of 4–5 eggs; incubation period 12–13 days; fledging at 12–13 days; typically single-brooded, occasionally double-brooded in good seasons.
- Behaviour
- Characteristically perches upright on low branches or wires, sallying out to catch flying insects with acrobatic manoeuvres before returning to the same perch. Often appears restless and fidgety. Solitary outside breeding season, though males are territorial during spring.