Empidonax minimus
The Least Flycatcher is one of the boldest and most pugnacious songbirds in the aspen forests along the eastern front ranges of the Rockies. During the nesting season, it is noisy and aggressive, driving away all avian intruders. Male Least Flycatchers reach their peak of aggression during the courtship season, when they fight furiously with rival males. The victor wins the right to select and chase a female for considerable distances in the hope of mating. An incubating female Least Flycatcher remains on her nest with extreme vigilance, so much so that a toppled tree was once found with a female still on the nest. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: olive-brown upperparts; 2 white wing bars; light-colored eye ring; long, narrow tail; dark bill; light throat; dark tail. Size: L 5-6 in. (13-15 cm). Range: common breeder in the Canadian Rockies south through Glacier NP; uncommon migrant in the central and southern U.S. Rockies. Habitat: aspen forests and alder and willow thickets up to the lower subalpine. Nesting: on a horizontal branch in a small tree or shrub; female builds the small cup nest with plant fibers and bark and lines it with grass, plant down and feathers; female incubates 4 eggs for up to 15 days. Feeding: flycatches insects and gleans the foliage of trees and shrubs for insects; also eats fruit and seeds. Voice: constantly repeated, whistled che-bec che-bec. Similar Species: Willow Flycatcher: no eye ring. Hammond's Flycatcher: darker underparts and throat. Dusky Flycatcher: outer tail feathers have whitish edges. Cordilleran Flycatcher: yellow throat. |
