Empidonax fulvifrons
The Buff-breasted Flycatcher (Empidonax fulvifrons) is a diminutive and distinctive member of the tyrant flycatcher family, known for its warm, buff-colored underparts that set it apart from its often notoriously similar Empidonax relatives. Measuring a mere 11-12 cm (4.3-4.7 in) in length with a weight typically ranging from 7-9 grams, it is among the smallest of North American flycatchers. Key identification marks include its prominent white eye-ring, two faint whitish wing bars on an other...
This species primarily inhabits open pine-oak, spruce-fir, or fir forests, often with an arid or semi-arid understory, typically at high elevations ranging from 1,500 to over 3,000 meters (5,000-10,000+ feet).
Their diet consists almost exclusively of small flying insects such as flies, wasps, beetles, and moths, which they catch via aerial hawking or gleaning from vegetation.
Buff-breasted Flycatchers are diurnal insectivores, employing a classic 'sally-and-return' foraging strategy where they wait on a low, open perch, dart out to catch a flying insect, and often return to the same or a nearby perch. They also frequently glean insects from foliage. Males are territor...
The breeding range of the Buff-breasted Flycatcher extends from the mountains of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, south through the highlands of Mexico, into Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Northern breeding populations are short-distance migrants, typically departing the U...
Least Concern
- The Buff-breasted Flycatcher is one of the smallest Empidonax flycatchers, often weighing less than a quarter of an ounce. - Its distinctive warm buff breast makes it one of the most reliably identifiable species within the notoriously challenging Empidonax genus, a relief for many birders. - U...