Cordilleran Flycatcher

The Cordilleran Flycatcher is a small, yellow-washed Empidonax flycatcher of interior western mountain forests, essentially indistinguishable in plumage from the closely related Pacific-slope Flycatcher, with which it was once considered a single species called the "Western Flycatcher." It shows olive-green upperparts, a distinctive teardrop-shaped whitish eye-ring, pale wing bars, and a yellow wash on the underparts.

Found in shaded, often steep-walled canyons and coniferous forests through the Rocky Mountains and interior ranges, this species is most reliably distinguished from its coastal counterpart by range and by subtle differences in its call notes, since the two look nearly identical in the field.

Key Field Marks

• Olive-green upperparts with an overall yellowish wash on the throat and belly
• Bold, teardrop-shaped whitish eye-ring
• Two pale wing bars
• Small size typical of the Empidonax genus

Similar Species

• Pacific-slope Flycatcher is visually identical; separation relies primarily on range (Cordilleran in the interior Rockies and Great Basin versus Pacific-slope along the coast) and subtle vocal differences.
• Hammond's Flycatcher and Dusky Flycatcher are grayer with less yellow tone and different call notes.
• Voice, particularly the sharp call note, is the most dependable field mark within the region of range overlap.

Cordilleran Flycatchers breed in montane coniferous and mixed forests of the interior western United States, including the Rocky Mountains, Great Basin ranges, and parts of the Southwest, typically in shaded canyons, ravines, and forested slopes near water.

The species migrates to winter primarily in Mexico, similarly to the Pacific-slope Flycatcher.

Voice

Gives a sharp pseet or seet call, subtly different in tone and cadence from the Pacific-slope Flycatcher's call, along with a soft, three-parted song used by males.

Feeding

Sallies from a shaded perch to catch flying insects and also hover-gleans prey from foliage in the forest understory.

Nesting

Builds a cup nest of moss, grass, and plant fibers, often tucked into a rock crevice, tree cavity, or under an overhang, frequently near a stream in a shaded canyon.