 
  Dusky Flycatcher
  A species of Empidonax flycatchers   Scientific name : Empidonax oberholseri  Genus :   Empidonax flycatchers    
  Dusky Flycatcher, A species of Empidonax flycatchers 
  Botanical name: Empidonax oberholseri 
  Genus:  Empidonax flycatchers 
  Content 
 Description General Info
 Photo By silversea_starsong , used under CC-BY-NC-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
  Photo By silversea_starsong , used under CC-BY-NC-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original   
 Description
 
  Adults have olive-gray upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a noticeable medium-width white eye ring, white wing bars and a medium length tail. The breast is washed with olive-gray. The bill is mainly dark. It is a bit smaller than the American grey flycatcher and a bit larger than the Hammond's flycatcher.  
 
    
  Size 
  15 cm (5.75 in) 
    Life Expectancy 
  6-9 years 
    Nest Placement 
  Shrub 
  Clutch Size 
  2 - 5 eggs 
  Incubation Period 
  1 brood 
  Number of Broods 
  15 - 16 days 
  Nestling Period 
  15 - 20 days 
  Feeding Habits 
  Dusky Flycatcher predominantly feed on insects, catching them mid-flight or plucking from vegetation and the ground. They forage in lower arboreal zones and brush during breeding season, primarily consuming moths, butterflies, caterpillars, wasps, bees, grasshoppers, damselflies, bugs, flies, and beetles. They subdue their prey by whacking it against branches before eating. 
    Habitat 
  The dusky Flycatcher typically resides in western mountainous regions, favoring open, brushy environments. This bird thrives at altitudes hosting a mix of thickets, mountain chaparral, aspen groves, and shrubby stream corridors. Its habitat is characterized by interspersed trees and dense understory vegetation comprising willows, alders, pines, and oaks. Furthermore, the dusky Flycatcher adapts to disturbed settings with sufficient brush and tree coverage, and during migration, they favor brushy, tree-dominated areas. 
    Nest Behavior 
  The female dusky Flycatcher constructs the nest and lines it for comfort. Nesting activities commence in spring to summer with the precise timing varying with location. Dusky Flycatcher typically lays 3-4 eggs which are incubated by the female, while both parents are involved in feeding and protecting the young. 
    Nest Characteristics 
  Dusky Flycatcher's nest is built in a tree or shrub crotch, approximately 3–17 feet up, favoring areas with dense undergrowth. The cup-shaped nest consists of woven grasses, hair, lichen, feathers, and plant down. It averages 3 inches in width and height, with an inner cup approximately 2 inches wide and 1.4 inches deep. 
    Dite type 
  Insectivorous 
  
  
 General Info
 
 Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Bird Feeder Type
 
  Platform 
 Sounds
 CallAndSong 
   Recording location: Mexico 
 Behavior
 Dusky Flycatcher engage in a variety of daily activities, including territory establishment through song. Males return first to the breeding area, marking territories up to about 2 acres with spirited singing and aerial displays. Once females arrive, males engage less in song, focusing on courtship, which features mutual displays of head-raising, wing-fluttering, and tail-quivering. Though generally monogamous, occasional trios with two males have been observed. Both sexes fiercely defend their territory from intruders with posturing, bill-snapping, and, if necessary, physical altercations. Additionally, both parents participate in feeding their offspring, with only females incubating. 
   Distribution Area
 These birds migrate to southern Arizona and Mexico. As non-breeding residents in the south of their migration range, they are passage migrants over the deserts of the south-western United States, the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, where they make their stops along the flyway.  
 
    
 Species Status
 Not globally threatened. 
    
 Scientific Classification
 
  Phylum 
  Chordates   Class 
  Birds   Order 
  Perching birds   Family 
  Tyrant flycatchers   Genus 
  Empidonax flycatchers   Species 
  Dusky Flycatcher  
 
  
  
  
 



 
  
  
 