Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Small flycatcher with big peaked head and relatively long bill. Extremely similar to several other species, especially Alder and Willow Flycatchers. Greenish-olive above and pale whitish below. Note thin white eyering and very long wingtips. Best distinguished from other flycatchers by habitat and voice. Birds near the northern end of breeding range prefer shaded ravines with mix of hemlocks and deciduous trees; farther south, found in mature deciduous forests. Tends to stay high in the canopy. Song is an explosive “pwit-SIP!,” call note is a sharp “pweek!”
Identification
Adults have olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars and a wide bill. The breast is washed with olive. The upper part of the bill is dark; the lower part is yellowish. This bird's song is an explosive peet-sa. The call is a soft peet. They also have a call similar to that of the northern flicker.[citation needed] A unique two-note song described as "ka-zeep" helps to identify this species.<p>Measurements:
Taxonomy
The 15 species of this genus were once all thought to be a single species, which was discovered in Acadia in present-day Nova Scotia. Differences in range, voice, and habitat eventually identified them as separate species. The present-day "Acadian flycatcher" is not found in Acadia.
- Scientific name
- Empidonax virescens
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Empidonax
Range and habitat
Its breeding habitat is deciduous forests, often near water, across the eastern United States and southwestern Ontario. These birds migrate through eastern Mexico and the Caribbean to southern Central America and the very northwest of South America in Colombia, western Venezuela, and Ecuador.<p>The numbers of these birds have declined somewhat in the southern parts of their range. Brown-headed cowbirds lay eggs in the nests of these birds in some areas. However, only 16% of cowbird young in Acadian flycatcher nests fledge successfully.<p>They wait on a perch in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning). They may eat some berries and seeds.<p>They make a loose cup nest in a horizontal fork in a tree or shrub.<p>The Acadian flycatcher is an excellent flier; it is extremely maneuverable, can hover, and can even fly backward. Curiously, there is no scientific information on hopping or walking by this bird.<p>As of October 2015 there have been 2 records of Acadian flycatcher in Europe, the first being a bird found dead in Iceland in 1967, and the second a bird found on the beach at Dungeness in Kent, England in September 2015, the latter's identity being established by DNA from its droppings.
- Breeding range
- NA : c, e USA
- Non-breeding range
- Nicaragua to Venezuela and w Ecuador
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
Unique pink wading bird with long, flat, spoon-shaped bill. Adults are mostly pink overall, with scarlet wing patches, orange tail, and bare pale-green head. Immatures are duller than adults but still washed with pale pink. Sometimes mistaken for a flamingo, but note spoonbill's distinctive bill, shorter legs, and shorter neck. Occurs in freshwater and saltwater wetlands from the Gulf Coast of the U.S. through much of South America. Feeds by sifting side-to-side through shallow water. Often in small loose groups, sometimes with other wading birds like storks and herons.
Masked Antpitta
Hylopezus auricularis
Medium-sized antpitta of floodplain forest, particularly with palmetto understory, along the confluence of the Ríos Madre de Dios and Bení in the Riberalta area. The only antpitta in range with dark chevrons on underparts or a blue-gray cap. Forages on or near the ground, but generally perches 1-2 m up in the understory or midstory to sing at dawn. Visually distinctive in range, but song deceptively similar to, and perhaps indistinguishable from, local songs of Amazonian Antshrike. Call a more distinctive three to four-part descending whistle.
Crow-billed Drongo
Dicrurus annectens
Large dark drongo of open forested environments. Glossy black with a characteristically forked tail. Immature speckled with grayish-white on lower breast and belly. Thick dark bill gives a generally heavier-headed appearance than other similar dark drongos such as Black Drongo, with which it shares parts of its range; also prefers more forested environments than the latter. Aggressive and territorial, particularly during the breeding season, frequently mobbing raptors and corvids with great vigor. Like other drongos, boasts a varied repertoire; songs include a ringing “tsee-goo-gohgee!” Calls include bell-like gurgling notes, harsh chattering, and piercing whistles.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.