Home Application Download FAQ
English
English
繁體中文
日本語
Español
Français
Deutsch
Pусский
Português
Italiano
한국어
Nederlands
العربية

Willow Flycatcher

A species of Empidonax flycatchers
Scientific name : Empidonax traillii Genus : Empidonax flycatchers

Willow Flycatcher, A species of Empidonax flycatchers
Botanical name: Empidonax traillii
Genus: Empidonax flycatchers
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

Adults have brown-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have an indistinct white eye ring, white wing bars and a small bill. The breast is washed with olive-gray. The upper part of the bill is gray; the lower part is orangish. At one time, this bird and the alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) were considered to be a single species, Traill's flycatcher. The willow and alder flycatchers were considered the same species until the 1970s. Their song is the only reliable method to tell them apart in the field . Their breeding habitat is deciduous thickets, especially willows and often near water, across the United States and southern Canada. They make a cup nest in a vertical fork in a shrub or tree. These neotropical birds migrate to Mexico and Central America, and in small numbers as far south as Ecuador in South America, often selecting winter habitat near water. Willow flycatchers travel approximately 1,500–8,000 km (930–4,970 mi) each way between wintering and breeding areas. They wait on a perch near the top of a shrub and fly out to catch insects in flight, also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering. They may eat some berries. This bird's song is a sneezed fitz-bew. The call is a dry whit. This bird competes for habitat with the alder flycatcher where their ranges overlap.
Size
15 cm (5.75 in)
Colors
Brown
Black
Bronze
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
11 years
Nest Placement
Shrub
Clutch Size
3 - 5 eggs
Feeding Habits
Willow Flycatcher mainly consumes flying insects caught midair or gleaned from foliage during hover-feeding. They eat bees, wasps, ants, beetles, damselflies, butterflies, moths, flies, and Syritta pipiens. Occasionally, they feed on berries like blackberries and raspberries in fall.
Habitat
Willow Flycatcher are typically associated with a variety of wet, shrubby areas including willow thickets, brushy fields, and upland copses near bodies of water. They favor environments with standing or running water but can also adapt to drier scrublands, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The preferred altitude ranges from sea level up to 8,000 feet, with the bird occupying diverse habitats such as shrubby clearings, pastures, and woodland edges during winter with a preference for areas close to water. Vegetation types encompass willows, shrubs, scrubby growth on river islands, and woodlands.
Nest Behavior
Willow Flycatcher females take 5–10 days for the initial nest and less for subsequent ones, using materials from failed nests to rebuild. Nesting involves securing a spot, constructing the nest, lining it, then egg-laying and parental care.
Nest Characteristics
Willow Flycatcher builds nests within low shrubs, often near edges, regularly in willow but also in various other plants, around 2–5 feet high. The nest consists of woven grasses and plant strips, anchored to the shrub, lined with rootlets or horsehair, and measures approximately 3 inches across and tall.
Dite type
Insectivorous

General Info

Feeding Habits

Bird Feeder Type
Platform

Behavior

Willow Flycatcher displays distinctive behaviors encapsulating its active insectivorous lifestyle. Typically, willow Flycatcher can be observed perching upright on shrubs, launching into the air to capture prey with swift, agile movements. Known for their characteristic song 'fitz-bew,' they also engage in unique territory and mating displays, including tail flicking, spread tail feathers, and wing-flicking, especially when faced with competition. Willow Flycatcher forms mostly monogamous pairings, although occasional polygamy occurs. Showing high site fidelity, willow Flycatcher often returns to previous territories or mates annually, underscoring their stable mating system and environmental adaptability.

Species Status

Not globally threatened.
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Download Picture Bird
Identify any bird by photo or sound in seconds
Cookie Management Tool
In addition to managing cookies through your browser or device, you can change your cookie settings below.
Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
Analytical Cookies
Analytical cookies help us to improve our application/website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_ga Google Analytics These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here. 1 Year
_pta PictureThis Analytics We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_ga
Source
Google Analytics
Purpose
These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_pta
Source
PictureThis Analytics
Purpose
We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience.
Lifespan
1 Year
Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies are used by advertising companies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_fbp Facebook Pixel A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here. 1 Year
_adj Adjust This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_fbp
Source
Facebook Pixel
Purpose
A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_adj
Source
Adjust
Purpose
This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year
Download