Yellowish Flycatcher

The Yellowish Flycatcher, Empidonax flavescens, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in highlands from southeastern Mexico south to western Panama.

This species is found in cool mountain forest, especially at the edges and in clearings, and in second growth and bushy pastures. It breeds from 800 m to nearly 2500 m altitude. The deep cup nest is made of plant fibre and mosses, and placed 2–4.5 m high in a crevice in a tree trunk or earth bank. The typical clutch is two or three white eggs, marked with pale rufous speckles. Incubation by the female is 14–15 days to hatching, with another 17 days to fledging.

The Yellowish Flycatcher is 12.5 cm long and weighs 12 g. Its upper parts are olive-green and the underparts are yellow with an ochre tint to the breast. The wings are blackish with two buff wing bars. It has a white eye ring broadening into a small triangle behind the eye. Sexes are similar, but young birds are browner above and paler yellow below. The call is a thin seeep and the dawn song is a rapid repeated seee seee chit.

This species needs to be distinguished from migratory Empidonax species, since several species, including Willow, Alder and Acadian Flycatchers pass through in the autumn. It has a more prominent eye ring than any migrant species, and despite that species’ name, is yellower below than Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Yellowish Flycatchers are active birds, usually seen alone when not breeding. They eat insects, spiders and some small berries. The prey is gleaned from the foliage, taken in flight in short sallies, or sometimes picked from the ground.