Empidonax difficilis
The `Empidonax difficilis`, commonly known today as the Pacific-slope Flycatcher, is a small, enigmatic member of the Tyrannidae family, historically grouped within the broader "Western Flycatcher" species complex. Measuring a petite 13-17 cm in length with a wingspan of 20-23 cm and weighing 8-13 grams, this olive-green flycatcher sports a yellowish throat and belly, a dark olive back, and two pale wing bars. Its most distinctive field mark, crucial for identification, is a prominent, often ...
This species primarily inhabits moist, shaded coniferous and mixed evergreen forests, often found in canyons, along stream banks, or in dense understory thickets from sea level up to moderate mountain elevations.
The diet consists predominantly of small to medium-sized flying insects, such as flies, wasps, moths, and beetles, supplemented by spiders; these are primarily captured through agile aerial hawking.
The Pacific-slope Flycatcher exhibits typical sallying behavior, perching upright on an exposed branch or vine, darting out to snatch flying insects in mid-air, and returning to the same or a nearby perch. Males establish and rigorously defend their breeding territories with persistent singing, p...
The `Empidonax difficilis`, or Pacific-slope Flycatcher, breeds along the humid Pacific Coast region of North America, extending from southeastern Alaska southward through coastal British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California, and into northern Baja California. Its breeding distribution is...
Least Concern
- The genus name "Empidonax" translates from Greek to "king of the gnats," aptly reflecting these birds' primary insectivorous diet. - Its former specific epithet "difficilis" meaning "difficult," was perfectly chosen, describing the notoriously challenging identification of this species and its ...