Family: Tyrannidae, Tyrant Flycatchers view all from this family
Description 6" (15 cm). Slightly smaller than a House Sparrow. Dull gray-green above, whitish below, with 2 dull white wing bars and narrow white eye ring (often not noticeable). Distinguishable from Alder Flycatcher only by voice, breeding habitat, and nest. Other western Empidonax flycatchers have more conspicuous eye ring or are grayer above.
Endangered Status The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, a subspecies of the Willow Flycatcher, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as endangered in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. Destruction of the dense streamside thickets that it nests in has dealt a serious blow to this species. Another problem has been nest parasitism by cowbirds, which lay their own eggs in the flycatchers' nests, to the detriment of the flycatchers' own broods. Predators, especially those that feed on eggs, have also contributed to this small bird's decline.
Habitat Swampy thickets, upland pastures, and old abandoned orchards; Alder Flycatchers occur along wooded lakeshores and streams.
Nesting 3 or 4 creamy-white eggs, with fine brown speckling, in a neat, compact cup of plant down and fibers placed in a low bush or sapling.
Range Breeds from southern British Columbia, Alberta, North Dakota, New York, and Maine south to central California, Nevada, Southwest, Arkansas, and Virginia. Winters in tropics.
Voice A wheezy fitz-bew or pit-speer. The song of the Alder Flycatcher is a burry fee-bee-o, descending more abruptly in pitch.
Discussion The species of the genus Empidonax are so similar in appearance that only an expert can tell them apart by sight alone. The Alder and Willow were once considered a single species ("Traill's Flycatcher"). During the breeding season each species lives in its characteristic habitat, but during migration birders may encounter birds of different species in a habitat in which they are not usually found. Thus, the only sure way to identify breeding males is by their voices, which are different in each species. In other seasons when males do not sing, all that can readily be told is that they are Empidonax flycatchers.
