Least Flycatcher

The Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) is a small insect-eating bird. It is the smallest Empidonax Flycatcher in eastern North America. It is also sometimes called “chebec” or “chebecker”, after the sound it makes. This bird’s name is a dead giveaway of its characteristics, namely its diet and song. The closest relative to the Least Flycatcher was thought to be the Hammond’s Flycatcher based on similarities in their songs and appearances. However, mitochondrial DNA analysis has revealed that the Least Flycatcher does not possess any sister species, making it a one-of-a-kind species.

About Least Flycatchers

Least Flycatchers are very similar to other Flycatchers, making it a little hard to identify if you do not know much about the bird. The easiest way to distinguish Least Flycatchers is by their distinct call and also their habitat.

While bird-watching, you need to know what to look out for in order to spot the birds on your list. This article will give you vital information to help you spot Least Flycatchers from a mile away! Today you will learn:

● Least Flycatcher Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Least Flycatcher Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Least Flycatcher Range and Migration, Nesting

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Least Flycatcher Color Pattern

Least Flycatchers are grayish olive above with dusky breasts. Their heads are grayish olive as well, with bold white eyerings. They have a very faint yellow wash to their bellies and 2 white wing bars.

Their plumages are dull olive-gray on their backs and whitish on their bellies, notably brighter than the other Empidonax birds. A Least Flycatcher’s wings are lined with two white bars, and they have white rings that contour their eyes. Their beaks are short and their lower mandibles are yellowish. The juveniles of this species look similar to the adults except that their wing bars are slightly darker, with tawny/olive hues. Since other Flycatchers also have field marks, the best way to identify the Least Flycatcher is by its call and habitat.

Description and Identification

Least Flycatchers are one of the grayish-olive Flycatchers in the often confusing Empidonax group, but they’re one of the easier ones to identify. Their small size, bold white eyering, and distinctive chebec song set them apart. During the summer, they congregate in clusters in deciduous forests and sing incessantly. They may be little, but they don’t let other birds push them around, sometimes chasing species as large as Blue Jays.

Least Flycatchers are small, grayish-olive Flycatchers and are very similar to several other species, which is why it is imperative to look out for certain things that will help you identify them better. Look for relatively bold white eyes, small bills, and frequent wing flicking when you are trying to spot these adorable birds in the wild. They are also most easily identified by their voices, with their songs being a loud “che-BEK, che-BEK” which is often repeated in
bursts. They also give short, dry “whit” calls. Least Flycatchers are found in a variety of wooded or shrubby habitats, often near water during the breeding season. They are typically solitary, and often flit around actively when foraging.

Least Flycatcher Song

The song of Least Flycatchers is a short and distinctive, dry chebec given by males and sometimes females that sounds more like a call. The song consists of two notes that each lasts less than a quarter of a second. They repeat each song, sometimes singing as many as 60 chebecs per minute.

Apart from their distinct chebec song, they also have a few distinct calls that set them apart from other Flycatchers. Males and females whit softly while feeding and attending to their nests. When they feel threatened the whit becomes louder and more emphatic. During more aggressive encounters they make a high-hitched weep.

Least Flycatcher Size

Least Flycatchers are the smallest Empidonax Flycatchers in the East. Like other Flycatchers, they tend to perch upright, but they appear a little more compact than most. The primary feathers on their wings are short, which makes their thin tails look longer. Their heads are round and are not peaked at the back like some other Empidonax.

They are larger than blue-gray Gnatcatchers and smaller than Eastern Wood-Pewees. Least Flycatchers average 4.7-5.5 inches in length, with a wingspan of about 7.9 inches. They grow up to average 8-13 grams in weight, and they do not show obvious signs of sexual dimorphism. These numbers apply to both the males and females of the species.

Least Flycatcher Behavior

Least Flycatchers congregate in clusters in deciduous forests during their breeding season. They sing incessantly throughout the summer, tossing their heads back with each chebec. They tend to flit from perch to perch among dead branches in the middle and upper levels of the forest canopy.

Least Flycatchers may be small, but they are quick to quarrel with any bird, no matter their size, that enters their territory. They frequently chase American Redstarts, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and even Blue Jays, which are more than twice their size, out of their territory. Males also fluff up their feathers, extend their wings, and flick their tails from a crouched position to threaten an intruder. On the breeding grounds, they nest in clusters, creating a Flycatcher neighborhood with 2-30 territories per cluster. Males in the best condition often get the center territory and they are the first ones in the neighborhood to pair. Males and females perform a perch-hopping dance during courtship, followed by silent flights through the territory and, eventually, mating. The males in the center of the neighborhood venture toward the border to mate with additional females. This is a behavior known as extra-pair mating. Females also seek extra-pair matings from nearby males, and their desire to seek more mates may be one reason why they nest in clusters. Nests in the center of the neighborhood have a lower risk of nest predation. This is another reason why they nest in clusters. Predators that enter a neighborhood are met with alarm calls that may persuade them to leave the area. On the wintering grounds, males and females defend separate territories with songs and calls.

Least Flycatcher Diet

Least Flycatchers forage by watching from a perch and flying out to catch insects. They often perch on dead twigs within the middle and lower levels of trees, in fairly open spots, and catch most insects mid-air. They also take food (including caterpillars and spiders) from foliage while hovering.

Their diet consists mostly of insects. Their summer diet is mostly insects, including many wasps, winged ants, beetles, caterpillars, midges, flies, and grasshoppers. They also eat spiders, and occasionally a few berries. They catch ants, beetles, flies, butterflies, and leafhoppers in midair or pick them off vegetation. Occasionally they also eat black elderberry, blackberries, and grass seeds.

Least Flycatcher Habitat

Least Flycatchers breed in deciduous and mixed forests of all ages including second-growth and mature forests. These forests tend to have a few shrubs or small saplings in the understory and a well-developed canopy. During the breeding season, Least Flycatchers are most common in semi-open deciduous and mixed forests of all ages, but sometimes they use shrubby fields and forest edges. In winter, they use woodland edges, forested ravines, shrubby areas, and pasture edges in Central America, typically below 3,200 feet elevation along the Pacific coast or below
5,000 feet along the Caribbean slope. In Mexico, they also use tropical evergreen forests.

Range and Migration

Least Flycatchers are typically long-distance migrants. They travel between 60 and 72 miles per day to reach their wintering grounds, a journey that takes them about 25 days.

Least Flycatcher Lifecycle

Least Flycatchers usually lay 4 eggs, sometimes 3 eggs, and occasionally 5 eggs. Their eggs are creamy-white with no markings or spots. Incubation of these eggs is done by females of the species only and the incubation period lasts around 13-15 days. Once incubated and hatched, both parents bring food for their nestlings. The fledglings then take their first flight at the age of around 12-17 days. The young usually leave the nest after becoming fledglings, but if there is a scarcity of food, they may stay in their nests and continue to be fed by their parents for another 2-3 weeks. Once they leave their nests, Least Flycatchers go on to live long and fulfilling lives, with the oldest recorded Least Flycatcher being at least 8 years old when it was recaptured and re-released during banding operations in Virginia in 1985.

Nesting

Least Flycatchers may nest in loose colonies. Their courtship behavior is not well known, but it may involve the males chasing the females through the trees. Least Flycatchers often actively chase American Redstarts (and other, bigger birds) out of their nesting territories. Males and females choose where to put the nest shortly after they pair. They pick a deciduous tree with an upright fork in the lower to middle canopy anywhere from 2–50 feet above the ground, but heights usually average 12-25 inches.

The nest site is usually in a deciduous sapling or small trees such as maple, birch, or ash, placed in a vertical fork in a branch. Female Least Flycatchers weave together strips of bark, grasses, plant fibers, and spiderwebs to form a compact cup nest. They line the nest with fine grasses, animal hair, feathers, and downy plant material. Sometimes they steal bits of nesting material from nests of other species nearby. One Least Flycatcher nest was even found to have used dragonfly wings as nest lining. It takes them about 5–7 days to build a nest that is around 2.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

Anatomy of Least Flycatchers

Least Flycatchers are very easy to confuse with other Flycatchers, which is why knowing their anatomy is integral to identify them well in the wild. They are small insect-eating birds and are known for their tiny bodies. This is what sets them apart from most Flycatchers, along with their song and habitat. Their plumage is dull olive-gray on their backs and whitish on their bellies, which is notably brighter than other Flycatchers as well. Least Flycatcher’s wings are lined with two white bars, and they have distinct white rings contouring their eyes. Their beaks are also short, like the rest of their body, and their lower mandibles tend to have a yellowish tinge to them. Juveniles of the species look similar to the adults, but they tend to have slightly darker wing bars, with tawny/olive hues. Since these birds show no signs of sexual dimorphism, both the males and females look similar and there is no obvious notable size difference between the two.

Final Thoughts

Least Flycatchers are incredible little birds, with extremely adorable statures and sweet distinct chebec calls that set them apart from other Flycatchers. They aren’t your typical backyard breeders, but since they are long-distance migrants you may just have a chance to spot them in your backyard during migration season. If not, you now know their habitat well enough to know where to go looking for them!

They make their presence known with their incessant chebecs during the breeding season. To find them, take a walk in a deciduous forest in the northern U.S. and Canada, and listen for their very short 2-note song. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t hear them right away. They nest in clusters so there might be stretches of the forest without any Least Flycatchers. But once you come across a cluster, there will likely be several about. They generally catch insects from branches in the middle to upper levels of the forest and frequently change perches, so look up for quick movements. On migration, these Flycatchers may be silent and hard to tell from other Flycatchers, so you must look for their small size and bold eyering, along with their distinct song.

Although they are listed as “Least Concern” in the IUCN, it is important to note that their population has declined incredibly since 1970. In fact, they have lost half of their population since. As bird-watchers, it is important to respect the birds we watch and do everything in our power to help protect these birds so that bird-watchers for generations to come can enjoy sighting them too!

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 Identifying Least Flycatchers

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Least 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.

Least Flycatcher Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Least 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 Least 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 Houses For Least 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.