Ash-throated Flycatcher

Overview

Ash-throated Flycatcher: Medium flycatcher with gray-brown upperparts, pale gray throat and breast, and gray-brown tail with rufous highlights. The pale yellow belly distinguishes this species from other Myiarchus flycatchers. Bill, legs, and feet are black. Strong flight with shallow wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Ash-throated Flycatcher: Breeds as far north as Oregon and Washington, as far east as central Texas, and as far south as central Mexico. Preferred habitats include open woodlands, streamside thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti, and deserts.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Ash-throated Flycatcher frequently uses man-made structures for nesting. The use of artificial structures may have offset the loss of natural nest sites by development, and may be responsible for an increase in numbers.
Although it has become a hole-breeder, it still builds a nest and has streaked, camouflaged eggs like its open-nesting ancestors.
It is a rare, but regular vagrant to the East Coast. Individuals turn up nearly every year, and have been found in all coastal states and provinces.
A group of flycatchers has many collective nouns, including an "outfield", "swatting", "zapper", and "zipper" of flycatchers.

The Ash-throated Flycatcher has a range around the globe of 3.5 million square kilometers. This bird is found to be native in North and Central America. In 2000, the Ash-throated Flycatcher was considered to be a Lower Risk as a result of the population at that time. Today, this bird has a global population of almost 9 million individual birds and consequently the evaluation for the Ash-throated Flycatcher has been updated accordingly to reflect the downgraded concern. The Ash-throated Flycatcher now has an evaluation of Least Concern.