Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri
Dull grayish flycatcher, very similar to other flycatchers, especially Hammond's and Gray. Generally grayish with green-tinged back and pale yellow wash on belly. Wingtips shorter than Hammond's Flycatcher and typically found in brushier, more open habitats such as forest edge, but not as open and sparse as Gray Flycatcher. Listen for classic “bean-dip” call as well as dry "whit" note, similar to Gray but noticeably different from Hammond's. Without an excellent view, silent birds often best left unidentified.
Identification
Adults have olive-gray upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a noticeable medium-width white eye ring, white wing bars and a medium length tail. The breast is washed with olive-gray. The bill is mainly dark. It is a bit smaller than the American grey flycatcher and a bit larger than the Hammond's flycatcher.<p>The male sings a three-part song. A common call is a dry whit, similar to that of other Empidonax flycatchers. A less common call, that is possibly only given by the male, is a sad dew-hic.
Taxonomy
The scientific name commemorates the American ornithologist Harry Church Oberholser.
- Scientific name
- Empidonax oberholseri
- Authority
- Phillips, AR, 1939
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Empidonax
Range and habitat
These birds migrate to southern Arizona and Mexico. As non-breeding residents in the south of their migration range, they are passage migrants over the deserts of the south-western United States, the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, where they make their stops along the flyway. Their breeding habitat is mountain slopes and foothills with brush and scattered trees (especially ponderosa pine) across western North America. They make a cup nest low in a vertical fork in a shrub.
- Breeding range
- NA : w Canada and w USA
- Non-breeding range
- sw USA and Mexico
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
They often wait on an open perch and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), and will also pluck insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning).
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Guineafowl
Agelastes niger
Small black guineafowl with a long tail and a bare red head. Note the narrow line of black feathers along the back of the neck and the top of the head. Found on the ground in lowland rainforest, sometimes venturing into forest clearings or onto tracks. Usually in pairs or small groups, which are quite shy. The vocalizations include a long series of “too-wit” whistles and fast, repeated, metallic “ghik” notes. Similar to other guineafowl, but smaller, all black, without white spots, and with an all-red head.
Gray-olive Greenbul
Phyllastrephus cerviniventris
Fairly small and typically plain greenbul. The pale bill and legs are unusual. Also note the pale whitish or orangish eye. Found in the thick undergrowth and mid-story of forest. Usually in small, vocal groups. The distinctive call is an accelerating series of nasal barking notes. Similar to several other greenbul species, but separated by the pale bill and legs. Further separated from Cabanis’s Greenbul by the lack of yellowish tones on the underparts.
Amber Mountain Rock-Thrush
Monticola erythronotus
Chunky, mid-sized robin-like bird. Males are gray and orange, with a rufous back, while females are rich brownish. Highly localized Madagascar endemic that is found only in humid forest on the slopes of Amber Mountain, in the far north. Perches for long periods in the forest understory and mid-story. Variable whistled song is easy to imitate. Female similar to female Madagascar Magpie-Robin, but smaller and without a white patch in the wing.
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