Of all those brown-olive-white flycatchers that migrate through the U.S., the olive-sided flycatcher is perhaps the easiest to identify. Relatively large, with an over-sized head, long thick bill, short tail and "vest-like" plumage on his chest, this migrant prefers to hunt from a dead limb near the top of a tree; from that conspicuous perch, he flies out to snare a large insect and then usually returns to the same spot.
Breeding in coniferous forests across Alaska and Canada and southward through mountain ranges of North America, most of these long-distance migrants winter in South America though some shorten their journey, staying in Central America. Among the last migrant flycatchers to move through the U.S. in spring, they are most often observed in late May; apparently fond of their wintering grounds, most head south again by late August.
Olive-sided flycatchers are more common in the Western U.S. (at least in my experience) and I encountered two at South Platte Park this morning. Seemingly sure of themselves, they are less skittish than their smaller cousins and will usually pose at close range, disturbed only by a juicy insect that flies near their perch.
Breeding in coniferous forests across Alaska and Canada and southward through mountain ranges of North America, most of these long-distance migrants winter in South America though some shorten their journey, staying in Central America. Among the last migrant flycatchers to move through the U.S. in spring, they are most often observed in late May; apparently fond of their wintering grounds, most head south again by late August.
Olive-sided flycatchers are more common in the Western U.S. (at least in my experience) and I encountered two at South Platte Park this morning. Seemingly sure of themselves, they are less skittish than their smaller cousins and will usually pose at close range, disturbed only by a juicy insect that flies near their perch.
