Compared to the showy male vermilion flycatcher, the female of this polytypic species is rather drab. (See Male Vermilion Flycatcher 09-21-16)

Female vermilion flycatchers (Pyrocephalus rubinis) are greyish brown above with a dark tail. The undersides are a buffy white, the breast is streaked, and the lower belly and undertail are a pale salmon or orange. A dull white supercilium (eyebrow area) is often difficult to discern. A grey line runs through the eye.

Female vermilion flycatchers lay 2 to 4 white or creamy eggs covered with large dark spots and smaller lighter spots. The nest is a loose cup constructed from twigs, grasses or other fibers and lined with down, feathers and hair. Placement of the nest is usually in the fork of a horizontal tree branch.

The male vermilion flycatchers at Bueno Aires National Wildlife Refuge (AZ) were most elusive, however, the females were much more cooperative photographic subjects.