Hammond’s Flycatcher
Empidonax hammondii
Introduction
Hammond’s Flycatcher is a common migratory species of the genus Empidonax that breeds in mature coniferous and mixed forests of western North America. Flycatchers of the genus Empidonax (literally translated as “mosquito king”) are so similar in size and appearance that a birder can identify them with certainty only by their calls, habitat and range. It breeds from Alaska, BC, southeast Alberta, south to northern California, and east in to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. It winters in Mexico and parts of Central America.
Identification
Adult Male (spring/summer)
White eye ring usually expanded in a “teardrop” at rear. Grayish head with a slight crest; gray throat; grayish-olive back; gray or olive wash on breast and sides showing a distinct vest; belly and undertail coverts tinged with pale yellow and two white wing bars and edges of primaries and secondaries show contrast. Long primary projection and shorter, narrow tail is always notched.
Adult Female (spring/summer)
Similar to adult male.
Juvenile
Brownish washed upperparts and buffy wing bars; edging to secondaries and tertials with buffy wash.
General Information
General:
This is a small and compact ‘Empid’. Length: 12-14cm. Wing: 22cm. Weight: 8-12grams.
Behaviour:
Hammond’s Flycatcher is primarily an aerial forager, capturing most of its insect diet on the wing. It tends to forage high in trees and repeatedly flicks its tail and wings while doing so. Though feeding mostly on flying insects it may also hover near tips of foliage, from underneath leaves and branches and at tree trunks. Occasionally it may drop from low perches to ground or to base of trees to forage.
Habitat:
Summers mostly in mature coniferous forests at high altitude. The forests consists of firs, spruces, pines or mixed forests near the timberline. It lives at higher elevations than other small flycatchers.
Information:
Similar in song and appearance to the Dusky Flycatcher of chaparral hillsides this species avoids competition for nest sites and food by living higher on the mountains in open coniferous forests. Because this species frequently nests high in conifers, saddling its nest on a horizontal limb well away from the main trunk, its nests are difficult to locate and regular checks of the nests contents are arduous. The nest is a tight cup of bark strips, grasses and plant down lined with moss, hair and feathers 25-40ft high. 3-4 white eggs occasionally spotted. Both members of the pair feed nestlings and fledglings, but only the female incubates the eggs and broods the young.
Similar species:
Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher.
Conservation Status:
Listed as Least Concern. Populations appear to be stable or increasing.
Maps & Statistics
Capture Rates
The Hammond’s Flycatcher preferred breeding habitat is higher elevation, dense conifer or mixed deciduous-conifer forests and therefore is a migrant visitor to Colony Farm. Subsequently, capture rates are highest in April and May, with smaller numbers captured in September as the birds return to their wintering habitat in Central America.
Ageing and Sexing (Band Size: 0)
Molt Summary:
PF: HY partial (Jul-Oct); PB: AHY complete (Jul-Sep); PA partial (Feb-Apr).
Preformative includes few if any wing covs and no flight feathers.
1st PA: includes some med covs, 0-5 inner gr covs, and occasionally 1-2 terts, but usually no other flight feathers.
Adult PA: includes 0 – 7 inner gr covs, and often 1 – 3 terts, but no rects.
Hammond's Flycatcher from other Empidonax Flycatchers
These two very similar Empids both have greyish throats, yellowy bellies, narrow bills and almond shaped eyerings but as can be seen from the photographs below Hammond’s (photo left) has a short, steep forehead and long, flat crown whereas Dusky has a fairly rounded head (photo right) and is also the slimmest Empid. The bill is long and narrow with straight sides, the lower mandible variable in colour from yellow to dusky whereas in Hammond’s the bill is small and short with straight sides, the lower mandible again varying in colour. The lores are often contrastingly paler in Dusky as can be seen on the bird below right.
Hammond’s Flycatcher (below) has a gray throat and yellow belly; the head is usually gray contrasting with a greener back, P6 is emarginated; primary projection is the longest of the Empids 13-20mm, with along gap between P5 and P6; wing is long, tail is short, the bill is small and short with straight sides; the lower mandible is yellow (juv) to 2/3rds dark tip (adults); the forehead is long and flat with a steep crown; the eyering is almond shaped.
Next comes wing shape or morphology which differs markedly in the two species. Both have an emarginated primary 6 (P6). Unlike many passerines all Tyrant Flycatchers have 10 primaries, the outer 10th primary full in length.
Hammond’s has the longest primary projection (the projection of the primary tips beyond the tertial tips) of all the Empids (13-20mm) and a long gap between the tips of P5 and P6 as can be seen in the photo below left. Hammond’s also has a long wing and short tail with a wing minus tail measurement of 11-19mm and tail minus primary projection measurement of 35-42mm.
Hammond’s (left) has the longest primary projection (distance between the tips of the tertials and tips of the primaries). Dusky primary projection is much shorter, usually less than 10mm (right).
Hammond’s is also the only Empid molting flight feathers on the breeding grounds.
HY / SY
Molt limits occur among the median and greater coverts in spring (April photos below), the retained outer coverts brownish and contrasting with the replaced inner coverts. Outer primary coverts are brownish, narrow and tapered and relatively abraded.
It is important to remember that the preformative molt includes few if any wing coverts and no flight feathers so visible molt limits could be from the prealternate molt in late winter / early spring which are similar in both first year birds and adults. These molt limits do not therefore necessarily indicate a SY bird.
The tail of the above SY in April is showing relatively narrow and tapered rectrices.
Gallery
