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Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Codes: Common Name: PSFL Scientific Name: EMPDIF ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178348
Least Concern
 
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
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Overview

Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Small flycatcher, olive-brown upperparts, yellow throat and belly, olive-gray breast. Eye-ring is white and elongated. Wings are dark with two pale bars. Bill is long with dark upper mandible and bright yellow lower mandible. Weak fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Breeds from Alaska south along the coast to Baja California. Spends winters south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include moist, shaded coniferous or mixed forests.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"pseet-ptsick-seet"

Interesting Facts

 The species name of the Pacific-slope Flycatcher, difficilis, is appropriate. It means "difficult," and this species is extremely difficult to distinguish from the similar Cordilleran Flycatcher.

 These two species were formerly considered a single species known as Western Flycatcher.

 The population on the Channel Islands may actually be a distinct species. It is larger than mainland birds, has a longer bill, a paler chest, slightly different vocalizations, and differs genetically.

 A group of flycatchers has many collective nouns, including an "outfield", "swatting", "zapper", and "zipper" of flycatchers.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Pacific-slope Flycatcher

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Family Flycatcher (Tyrannidae)_blue
Species Empidonax difficilis
Length5.5 Inches
Wingspan5.5 Inches

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Small flycatcher, olive-brown upperparts, yellow throat and belly, olive-gray breast. Eye-ring is white and elongated. Wings are dark with two pale bars. Bill is long with dark upper mandible and bright yellow lower mandible. Weak fluttering flight on shallow wing beats.

● Song: "pseet-ptsick-seet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Hawks flying insects or gleans them from foliage; also eats berries and seeds.

● Breeding & nesting: Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Three to five white eggs with brown blotches near large end are laid in a moss-lined cup nest made of small twigs and rootlets, usually built against a tree trunk where the bark has split, in roots of a wind-felled tree, in a bank, or under the eave of a forest cabin. Incubation ranges from 14 to 15 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Cordilleran Flycatcher has a two-syllable call (as opposed to an up-slurred single note). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher has a shorter tail and stronger green tones.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flight with shallow wing beats.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Breeds from Alaska south along the coast to Baja California. Spends winters south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include moist, shaded coniferous or mixed forests.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationWidespread
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.4 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
Lower mandibleX
The lower part of the bill.
Upper mandibleX
The upper part of the bill.
ChestX
Also called the breast area, it is the frontal area on the body containing the breastplate and major flight muscles.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX