Hammond's Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
Hammond's Flycatcher, Empidonax hammondii is a small insect-eating bird
. It is a small Empidonax flycatcher
, with typical size ranging from 12.5-14.5 cm.
Adults have greyish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a conspicuous white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The breast is washed with grey and the sides of the belly with yellow. Many species of Empidonax
flycatchers look closely alike. The best way to distinguish species is by voice, by breeding habitat and/or range.
Their preferred breeding habitat is coniferous forests in highlands of the western
United States
, Alaska
and Canada
. They make a cup nest on a fork in a tree, usually high in a horizontal branch. Females usually lay 3-4 eggs.
These birds migrate
to Mexico
and Central America
for the winter.
They wait on an open perch high or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight, (hawking
), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering, (gleaning
).
The song is a multi versed hoarse ssilit, greeep, silit, pweet. The call is a sharp peek.
The name of this bird commemorates William Alexander Hammond
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. It is a small Empidonax flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
, with typical size ranging from 12.5-14.5 cm.
Adults have greyish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a conspicuous white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The breast is washed with grey and the sides of the belly with yellow. Many species of Empidonax
Empidonax
The genus Empidonax is a group of small insect-eating passerine birds in the tyrant flycatcher family, the Tyrannidae.Most of these birds are remarkably similar in plumage: olive on the upper parts with light underparts, eye rings and wing bars...
flycatchers look closely alike. The best way to distinguish species is by voice, by breeding habitat and/or range.
Their preferred breeding habitat is coniferous forests in highlands of the western
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They make a cup nest on a fork in a tree, usually high in a horizontal branch. Females usually lay 3-4 eggs.
These birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
for the winter.
They wait on an open perch high or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight, (hawking
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering, (gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
).
The song is a multi versed hoarse ssilit, greeep, silit, pweet. The call is a sharp peek.
The name of this bird commemorates William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond, M.D. was an American neurologist and the 11th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army...
.
External links
- Hammond's Flycatcher photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
- Photo-High Res; Article-(w/ 4-Photos of E. hammondii) – schmoker.org–"Flycatcher Pictures"
