Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Stocky flycatcher that almost always perches conspicuously on a high bare perch with an upright posture. From the front, look for dark sides creating a vest, with a bright white stripe from throat to belly. White patches on the sides of rump are sometimes visible from behind. Most similar to pewees but larger and larger-billed, with more contrasting vest. Feeds on insects. Breeds in clearings and bogs in boreal or mountainous forests, but can be found in migration in open habitats with a mixture of woods and clearings. Distinctive whistled song is often likened to "quick, three beers;" also listen for "pip" call notes.
Identification
Olive-sided flycatchers are migratory songbirds which are relatively small. It is qualified as small to medium-sized birds and are estimated to be smaller than American robins, but bigger than sparrows. The olive-sided flycatcher can be identified by its olive-grey or grey-brownish plumage above and with a white mid-breast section and throat. The olive tones on its back and wings are seen mainly in optimal light and when the feathers are freshly moulted. The sides of the breast area are grey and make the bird look like it is wearing a vest (see Fig. 2). It has a relatively long bill and long wings for its size. Sometimes, some of its head feathers can be raised which make it look like it has a small crest. The species does not exhibit sexual dimorphism, which means that male and female look similar. Olive-sided flycatchers perch in upright positions on top of dead branches or trees.<p>Olive-sided flycatchers can be confused with other birds in the genus Contopus like the Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and the Eastern Phoebe. They can be distinguished these species by observing the following differences: the plain grey breasts of the greater pewee (as opposed to the vest-like chest of the olive-sided flycatcher), they are twice the weight of the western and eastern wood pewees, and the eastern phoebe has more white underparts than the olive-sided flycatcher.
Taxonomy
Olive-sided flycatchers (Contopus cooperi) are part of the class Aves in the order Passeriformes, meaning they are passerines which are known as perching or song birds. They are part of the family Tyrannidae because they are Tyrant flycatchers found in America and they belong to the genus Contopus which is the Pewee taxon. Pewees are known as being insect eaters who catch their prey generally in flight.<p>The species has often been considered to be monotypic; the Clements Checklist and AOS Checklist of North American Birds currently do not recognize any subspecies. However, the disjunct populations that breeds in southern California and Baja California is sometimes recognized as a distinct subspecies, C. cooperi majorinus. This subspecies is a short-distance migrant and has longer wings and tail feathers than birds from elsewhere.
- Scientific name
- Contopus cooperi
- Authority
- (Nuttall, 1831)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Contopus
Range and habitat
The olive-sided flycatcher is distributed throughout North and South America. Its breeding habitat ranges from California to New Mexico, all the way up to central Alaska, then across Canada (except for most of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and through a portion of northeastern US. Its non-breeding habitat is mainly in the northern part of South America and a small area in Central America.<p>Their breeding habitat is mainly in open areas or edges of boreal, coniferous forests or temperate western forests, in areas up to 10,000 feet in elevation (e.g., in the Rockies), and always near water. They can also nest in cities or on farms. In their non-breeding habitat, olive-sided flycatchers use similar habitats as their breeding habitats such as open areas and forest edges, but do not need water proximity as much as in their breeding habitat. They are also associated to habitats with very tall trees. Two forest habitats used by olive-sided flycatchers in the winter are tropical montane and tropical lowland evergreen forests.
- Breeding range
- NA : w Alaska to sw USA, nw Mexico, ec USA and se Canada
- Non-breeding range
- n, c SA
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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