Olive-sided Flycatcher

Overview

Olive-sided Flycatcher: Large, heavy-billed flycatcher with dark olive-brown upperparts, streaked olive-brown sides, and white underparts. Head has slight crest and faint white eye-ring. Wings are dark with two pale bars. Dark tail is relatively short, broad, and slightly notched. Black legs, feet.

Range and Habitat

Olive-sided Flycatcher: Breeds in Alaska, east across Canada to northern New England, and south to the mountains of California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include boreal spruce and fir forests, usually near openings, burns, ponds, and bogs.

INTERESTING FACTS

Olive-sided Flycatchers undertake the longest migration of any of North America’s flycatchers, arriving on their breeding grounds late in the spring.
Breeding Bird Survey trends are negative almost everywhere. It is estimated that the population in sampled areas declined 72% from 1966-2002.
It defends its nest aggressively. A pair was observed to knock a red squirrel off a nest limb and chase it away.
A group of flycatchers has many collective nouns, including an "outfield", "swatting", "zapper", and "zipper" of flycatchers.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher has a very defined range, extending across Canada and into the eastern United States. It also inhabits a large portion of Alaska and extends south into Northern Mexico. The species winters in Panama and the Andes Mountains of western Venezuela and south to Ecuador as well as southeastern Peru and western Bolivia. The bird may also appear in Guianas, southern Peru and Venezuela, Brazil and Trinidad as well. This species will be found at forest edges in subtropical and tropical areas as well as in wetlands and plantations. A significant loss of habitat and territory suggests that breeding success is not assured, and marked population declines are occurring throughout its natural range. Due to this, population trends for the Olive-sided Flycatcher have a present evaluation level of Near Threatened.