Skip to main content

Hammond's Flycatcher

ID Info
  • Hammond's Flycatcher
  • Hammond's Flycatcher
  • Hammond's Flycatcher  video
Silhouette FlycatchersFlycatchers
Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii
  • ORDER: Passeriformes
  • FAMILY: Tyrannidae

Basic Description

A small, olive-green bird with a prominent eyering and wingbars, the Hammond’s Flycatcher is a bird of mature and old-growth coniferous forests of western North America. Males sing a very short, 3-parted song that can help distinguish this species from other similar Empidonax flycatchers, including the Dusky Flycatcher, which can occur in shrubby habitats adjacent to Hammond’s. Compared to other Empidonax, Hammond’s has a fairly small, dark bill and long wings. In its breeding habitat, Hammond’s often forages and nests rather high in trees.

More ID Info
image of range map for Hammond's Flycatcher
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
Explore Maps

Find This Bird

Look for Hammond’s Flycatchers in spring and summer in coniferous forests. Voice is important for Empidonax flycatchers, since the species look so similar—pay attention especially to differences with Dusky Flycatchers, the species most likely to be confused with Hammond’s. Identification is especially difficult when an Empidonax remains silent (as they often do during migration)—it can be helpful to take photos in order to study fine details such as bill size and wing length (primary projection).

Other Names

  • Mosquero de Hammond (Spanish)
  • Moucherolle de Hammond (French)
  • Cool Facts