Acadian Flycatcher
Facts
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: From Southern Ontairo south to Texas and east across the southcentral United States
Lifespan: About 10 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Location: From Southern Ontairo south to Texas and east across the southcentral United States
Lifespan: About 10 years
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Empidonax
Species: E. virescens
Binomial name: Empidonax virescens
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Empidonax
Species: E. virescens
Binomial name: Empidonax virescens
Description
Length: Average 15 cm (5.9 in)
Wingspan: Average 23 cm (9.1 in)
Weight: 11 to 14 g (0.4 to 0.5 oz)
Other: Adults have olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars and a wide bill. The breast is washed with olive. The upper part of the bill is dark; the lower part is yellowish. This bird's song is an explosive peet-sa. The call is a soft peet. They also have a call similar to that of the Northern Flicker.
Length: Average 15 cm (5.9 in)
Wingspan: Average 23 cm (9.1 in)
Weight: 11 to 14 g (0.4 to 0.5 oz)
Other: Adults have olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a white eye ring, white wing bars and a wide bill. The breast is washed with olive. The upper part of the bill is dark; the lower part is yellowish. This bird's song is an explosive peet-sa. The call is a soft peet. They also have a call similar to that of the Northern Flicker.
Behaviour
They wait on a perch in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning). They may eat some berries and seeds. They make a loose cup nest in a horizontal fork in a tree or shrub. The Acadian Flycatcher is an excellent flier; it is extremely maneuverable, can hover, and can even fly backward. Curiously, there is no scientific information on hopping or walking by this bird.
They wait on a perch in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight (hawking), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning). They may eat some berries and seeds. They make a loose cup nest in a horizontal fork in a tree or shrub. The Acadian Flycatcher is an excellent flier; it is extremely maneuverable, can hover, and can even fly backward. Curiously, there is no scientific information on hopping or walking by this bird.
Predators or Prey?
The Acadian Flycatcher has no immediate predators, although habitat loss through humans does pose a threat towards the species. The prey of the Acadian Flycatcher includes insects and larvae.
The Acadian Flycatcher has no immediate predators, although habitat loss through humans does pose a threat towards the species. The prey of the Acadian Flycatcher includes insects and larvae.
Diet
The Acadian Flycatcher eats insects, insect larvae, and other arthropods (insects with exoskeletons).
The Acadian Flycatcher eats insects, insect larvae, and other arthropods (insects with exoskeletons).
Habitat
The Acadian Flycatcher breeds in mature forests, especially deciduous woods, along streams, in ravines, and in swamps. In the winter, the Acadian Flycatcher lives in lowland tropical forests and second growth.
The Acadian Flycatcher breeds in mature forests, especially deciduous woods, along streams, in ravines, and in swamps. In the winter, the Acadian Flycatcher lives in lowland tropical forests and second growth.
Conservation
The populations nationwide appear to be stable, but may be declining in the Midwest. The Acadian Flycatcher is considered area-sensitive, showing a negative impact of forest fragmentation. They are also vulnerable to loss of wintering habitat.
The populations nationwide appear to be stable, but may be declining in the Midwest. The Acadian Flycatcher is considered area-sensitive, showing a negative impact of forest fragmentation. They are also vulnerable to loss of wintering habitat.
Reproduction
The nest is shallow and thin cup shaped. It is made of fine materials held together with insect and spider silk. The nest is usually held on a branch on a tree over water. The average number of eggs laid are usually 1 to 4. They are creamy to buffy white with some small brown spots at the larger end. After hatching, the chicks are helpless and dependent on their parents. The chicks will have some white down (feathers) on their body after hatching.
The nest is shallow and thin cup shaped. It is made of fine materials held together with insect and spider silk. The nest is usually held on a branch on a tree over water. The average number of eggs laid are usually 1 to 4. They are creamy to buffy white with some small brown spots at the larger end. After hatching, the chicks are helpless and dependent on their parents. The chicks will have some white down (feathers) on their body after hatching.