Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) is a small insect
-eating bird
of the tyrant flycatcher
family.
Adults have brownish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with yellowish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The upper part of the bill is dark; the lower part is orange-pink.
Their breeding habitat is wet northern woods, especially spruce
bog
s, across Canada
and the northeastern United States
. They make a cup nest in sphagnum
moss
on or near the ground.
These birds migrate
to southern Mexico
and Central America
.
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers wait on a perch low or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insect
s in flight, sometimes hovering over foliage. They sometimes eat berries
or seed
s.
The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher's call note is transcribed as chu-wee, ascending in pitch. This is very different from the more common Least Flycatcher's dry "CHE-bek."
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-eating bird
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...
of the tyrant 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...
family.
Adults have brownish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with yellowish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The upper part of the bill is dark; the lower part is orange-pink.
Their breeding habitat is wet northern woods, especially spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s, across 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...
and the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They make a cup nest in sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
on or near the ground.
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 southern 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...
.
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers wait on a perch low or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in flight, sometimes hovering over foliage. They sometimes eat berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
or seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s.
The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher's call note is transcribed as chu-wee, ascending in pitch. This is very different from the more common Least Flycatcher's dry "CHE-bek."
External links
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - Empidonax flaviventris - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Birds of Nova Scotia
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Environment Canada
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Canadian range, Canadian Biodiversity Web Site