Hammond's Flycatcher
Empidonax hammondii
About This Species
A small, plain flycatcher of shady coniferous forest in the Pacific Northwest of North America during the breeding season, migrating to Mexico and Central America for winter. It sits upright on a mid-canopy perch and sallies out to catch flying insects, often revealed by its sharp, upward-inflected call. Mature, closed-canopy forest in late spring is the best setting to find one on territory.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watching quietly from below the canopy without approaching a singing perch is enough to see this species well, since it is easily lost from view in dense foliage if flushed.
- Migratory bird protections differ between its United States and Canada breeding range and its Mexican and Central American wintering range, so caution is warranted throughout rather than assuming uniform rules.
- Avoid using recorded calls repeatedly near a territory, since flycatchers can be provoked into wasted energy defending against a perceived rival.
LCAvesPasseriformesTyrannidae
Seasonal Activity
280,218 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
Photo
(c) Ad Konings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ad Konings
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.