Hammond’s Flycatcher

A small, olive-green bird with distinctive facial markings and a stout and round body, the Hammond’s Flycatcher is a mature bird and old-growth coniferous forests of western North America. Males sing a very short, 3-parted song that can help distinguish this species from other similar Empidonax Flycatchers, including the Dusky Flycatcher, which can occur in shrubby habitats adjacent to Hammond’s. Compared to other Empidonax, Hammond’s Flycatchers have a fairly small, dark bill and long wings. In their breeding habitat, Hammond’s Flycatchers often forages and nests rather high in trees.

About Hammond’s Flycatchers

These birds have many similarities with Dusky Flycatchers, the differences between them weren’t understood until the late 1980s. However, they can be told apart on the basis of their range. While Dusky Flycatchers live in shrubby habitats, Hammond’s Flycatchers prefer cooler surroundings at all seasons. They nest higher in the mountains and farther up north, with even their wintering grounds based in the mountains rather than the hot lowlands.

Today, we want to be talking about the birds in detail. We will scrutinize all aspects of their lives and try to break down how these birds are unique from their close relatives, though many characteristics might seem identical. We will be going over:

● Hammond’s Flycatcher Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Hammond’s Flycatcher Size, Eating Behavior, Habitat
● Hammond’s Flycatcher Range and Migration, Nesting

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Hammond’s Flycatcher Color Pattern

These birds are sexually monomorphic, meaning that adults of both sexes look identical to each other. The upper parts of these birds are grayish olive, with their head grayer and less olive. The sides of their breasts and upper breast are also of a dark gray. Their abdomen and under tail coverts are yellowish to whitish, bordered with darkish flanks that
give the bird a vested appearance. Their throat is pale gray, with the outer web of the outer tail feathers grayish white. They have a whitish eye-ring that makes it seem that they are wearing spectacles, with the ring becoming thicker behind the eye. The wing-bars are narrow and whitish in adults, before turning buffy during fall. The upper mandible of the bill is blackish, while the lower mandible is two-thirds dark and yellow at the base. Juveniles have brownish washed upper parts and buffy wing bars. However, there is no information on when the young birds molt into their adult plumage.

Description and Identification

Look for Hammond’s Flycatchers in spring and summer in coniferous forests. Voice is important for Empidonax Flycatchers since the species look so similar. Pay attention especially to differences with Dusky Flycatchers, the species most likely to be confused with the Hammond’s Flycatcher. Identification is especially difficult when an Empidonax remains silent (as they often do during migration). It can be helpful to take photos in order to study fine details such as bill size and wing length.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Song

The songs of these Flycatchers have three elements: a dry, sharp, 2-syllabled “se-put” and a low-pitched, burry “tsurrt”. They also have a rough, drawn-out “chu-lup”. The song may have all three elements in the above order or may be given singly or in couplets. They may shuffle these elements within the song. The main function of these songs is to establish and reinforce pair bonds, with the secondary function being for territorial defense. Their songs are similar to those of Dusky Flycatchers but are significantly less varied than them.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Size

These birds are tiny and delicately built, with a body length of 4.9–6.1 inches and an approximate bodyweight of 0.3–0.4 ounces. They have long, pointed wings that have a wingspan of 8.7 inches. Their wings reach farther down the tail compared to Dusky Flycatchers. These Flycatchers appear to be large-eyed, large-headed, and short-tailed when compared to their closest relatives Dusky Flycatchers and Gray Flycatchers. These proportions make them larger than Red-breasted Nuthatches, but slightly smaller than Western Wood-Pewees.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Behavior

These birds make quick and direct flights, taking rapid wingbeats that make them extremely maneuverable through the forest foliage. They may hover like Hummingbirds, or even fly backward to and from their perches. Hovering is a fundamental part of their territorial displays. Adults may also briefly hover while they arrive at their nests to feed their young. They occasionally drop from low perches to the ground or to the base of trees to forage. Hammond’s Flycatchers are typically not very aggressive, though they may chase away rival males while establishing their territories during the breeding seasons. Despite engaging in regular chases, physical fights are rare. These birds are mostly monogamous as well. Their courtship rituals typically occur when the female builds the nest. It involves the males chasing females or remaining perched nearby while singing and snapping their bills. The males also fly repeated half-circles around perched females or hover near them. Interested females reciprocate by flying towards males, or through gestures like leaning their bodies forward with their tail spread and wings slightly extended.

These birds are mostly solitary, remaining with their mates during all seasons away from the other members of the species. They use the same breeding and wintering sites throughout the year, fluctuating between either location during migration. Their territories generally do not overlap with other males, but they may frequently forage with birds of other species occasionally. Males generally defend the territory, while the females focus mainly on defending the nest and its immediate vicinity.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Diet

Hammond’s Flycatchers eat mostly insects. They perch quietly, scanning the environment, then fly quickly upward or outward to capture insects in midair. Especially during the early part of the breeding season, they also flutter out to pluck insects from the vegetation, sometimes sallying to catch them as they would a flying insect, sometimes hovering briefly to glean them. Prey items include butterflies, moths, caterpillars, bugs, flies, and beetles. The birds return to their perch to consume their prey, sometimes first removing the wings or whacking it against a branch. In some areas, Hammond’s Flycatchers shift their foraging height during the breeding months, using middle and higher levels early and lower levels (such as understory plants) later in the season.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Habitat

Hammond’s Flycatchers nest only in mature and old-growth coniferous and mixed forests of western North America. Here they inhabit fir, pine trees like ponderosa and lodgepole, Douglas-fir, larch, birch, and aspen forests, which often have tanoak, maple, dogwood, alder, or other deciduous elements, mostly in the understory. Their nesting habitats have plenty of canopy openings. In spring and fall, migrating passes through virtually all habitats of the West, from stream corridors, chaparral, and deserts up through middle elevations to treeline. Even green spaces in large cities may host a few migrants. On the wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America, this species remains in cool montane forests, mostly fir, pine, or pine-oak habitats, similar to their breeding grounds.

Range and Migration

Hammond’s Flycatchers live in the western regions of the United States, including Montana, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. In Canada, their range includes British Columbia, Yukon, and Alberta. Certain birds live as far north as Alaska. Overall, their breeding range is formed by regions that have been greatly influenced by past glaciation events. These birds are migratory and winter in the warmer regions of Mexico and Central America.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Lifecycle

Hammond’s Flycatchers have their only brood of the year during the breeding seasons, with females laying about 3–4 creamy-white eggs. Incubation is carried out by the females for about 15–16 days, after which the chicks emerge naked and completely helpless. Females are responsible for brooding the young, but both parents feed the nestlings. The young ones are able to fly after 16–18 days, but they remain in a group to be tended by their parents for over a week after they fully fledge.

Nesting

Females select the nest sites and generally scout for spots by hopping around and fluttering their wings while calling. The sites are at a large limb of a tree, well away from the trunk, at a height of about 25 feet above the ground. The nests are generally in a conifer, with popular trees being Douglas-fir, pine, fir, or aspen.

The females also construct the nest entirely, with males rarely helping. They weave a compact cup out of grass, plant fibers, lichen, and bark, before they line the interiors with hair, leaves, rootlets, feathers, or string if available. These components are all held together with spiderweb, a material with some elastic properties that can stretch once the chicks begin to grow. The resulting proportions amount to a nest that is 3.4 inches across and 2.1 inches tall, with the interior cup resulting to around 2.2 inches across and 1 inch deep.

Anatomy of a Hammond’s Flycatcher

These birds are tiny and delicately built, with a body length of 4.9–6.1 inches and an approximate bodyweight of 0.3– 0.4 ounces. They have long, pointed wings that have a wingspan of 8.7 inches. Their wings reach farther down the tail compared to Dusky Flycatchers. These Flycatchers appear to be large-eyed, large-headed, and short-tailed when
compared to their closest relatives Dusky Flycatchers and Gray Flycatchers. These proportions make them larger than Red-breasted Nuthatches, but slightly smaller than Western Wood-Pewees.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps rare for most birds, Hammond’s Flycatchers have increased in number overall since the late 1960s. The North American Breeding Bird Survey stated that their populations grey by 0.8% every year between 1968 and 2015. These factors led to their classification as a species of low conservation concern. However, their preference for mature forests has posed some threats to them. Urban developmental projects that lead to logging have a negative impact on them, with deforestation of wintering habitats further heightening their plight. They share these concerns with many other songbird species, most of which rely on sufficiently forested lands to survive.

These birds are often overlooked due to the similarities that they hold with Dusky Flycatchers. On-field, even birders with the best observation skills can sometimes miss out on the traits that identify them accurately. Furthermore, there is still a lot of information that is not available. While parallels are often drawn between the Empidonax species to fill in the missing gaps, they ultimately cannot always make claims that further our knowledge. Dwindling habitats further decrease our chances of understanding them better. Raising awareness about the multitudes of forgotten birds are generally the most important steps to be taken in order to remember, and treasure, the unimaginable amounts of wonder the earth has always possessed.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingHammond’s Flycatchers

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Hammond’s Flycatchers are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Hammond’s Flycatcher Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Hammond’s Flycatcher. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Hammond’s Flycatchers

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesFor Hammond’s Flycatchers

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.