Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.7–5.5 in
12–14 cm - Wingspan
- 8.7 in
22 cm - Weight
- 0.3–0.4 oz
8–12 g
Other Names
- Moucherolle de Hammond (French)
- Mosquerito passajero (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Early in the breeding season male Hammond's Flycatchers fight so vigorously defending their territories that they often become locked together in midair, fluttering to the ground.
- The Hammond's Flycatcher pulls wings off moths before consuming their bodies.
Habitat
Forest
Cool forests, especially coniferous or mixed forests with fir trees.
Food
Insects
Flying insects and caterpillars.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 3–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- Creamy white, sometimes marked sparingly with small reddish-brown dots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, eyes closed.
Nest Description
A compact cup of plant fibers and fine grass placed on large limb of conifer tree.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Flycatching
Takes insects on the wing; perches on dead branches and twigs between forays.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations appear stable or increasing. The species' preference for mature forests suggests that logging of old-growth forests may pose an eventual threat.
Credits
- Sedgwick, J. A. 1994. Hammond's Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii). In The Birds of North America, No. 109 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.