Cooperative Living February 2018 - 36

FeatheredFriends | Story and Artwork by Spike Knuth, Contributing Columnist
Least Flycatcher
W
ith warming temperatures as
spring approaches, we begin
to hear the calls and songs
of different birds. One will stand out if
recognized - the sharp, emphatic
" Che-BEC " of the least flycatcher.
This is the smallest of the smaller
flycatchers of the genus empidonax. It
is also the most common of that tribe
in the eastern United States. Its call or
song can be heard some distance, and a
person is more likely to hear it rather
than see the bird. However, if you
happen to be in an open area at the edge
of a field, pond, creek, woods or a
roadside hedgerow, you might catch a
glimpse of the bird, sitting at the very
tip of an upright branch.
Least flycatchers breed from Nova
Scotia west to British Columbia and
Mackenzie in Canada, and from
Wyoming east to the Alleghenies and
Appalachians. They migrate north
earlier than most other migrant
flycatchers, the majority of which begin
arriving in April, with males preceding
the females. Usually, the only other
flycatcher found at this time is the
eastern phoebe, many of which overwinter
in our region.
While migrating, least flycatchers tend
to be quiet; but once the females arrive
at the breeding grounds, the males get
restless, noisy and confrontational as
they fight over territory and attempt
to attract a mate. At this time, the
" Che-BEC " call, with emphasis on the
last note, is uttered constantly,
accompanied by head tossing, tail
flicking and wing fluttering. The bird
may add a few chirps at the end of this
song, and it also has a short " whit-whit "
call as well. This is done from a high
perch, typical of all flycatchers. Males
call and chase with vigorously fluttering
wings with the victor claiming his spot
and his mate, while the vanquished goes
34 | Cooperative Living | February 2018
More likely
to be heard
than seen
The smallest of the smaller flycatchers of the genus empidonax and the most common in the eastern United States.
off to seek another territory.
In addition to being smaller, the
empidonax flycatchers have oversized
heads and shorter tails and measure
anywhere from 5 to 6¼ inches. They are
all somewhat similar in color; olive-brown
to grayish-brown above, whitish underparts
washed with olive or gray, and two
whitish wing bars and eye rings. Their
head feathers may be somewhat darker or
grayer. With the least flycatcher, this group
includes the alder, willow, Acadian and
yellow-bellied flycatchers. They are
difficult to identify even in the hand, so
the best ways to do so is by their calls or
the type of habitat in which you have seen
them. All of them are as aggressive as their
larger flycatcher cousins, especially when
defending their nests.
Once courtship is completed, nest
building begins in shrubs or low trees,
usually in a crotch or fork off of a main
branch anywhere from 2 to 25 feet up.
The nest is a deep, thin-walled affair
constructed of bark fibers, weed stems,
fine grasses, plant or bird down and animal
hair. These birds seem to favor deciduous
trees, but will nest in conifers as well.
Oak, willow, aspen, birch, alder, red-osier
dogwood, balsam fir, spruce, hemlock and
They migrate north
earlier than most other
migrant flycatchers,
the majority of which
begin arriving in April,
with males preceding
the females.
pine are all used for nesting sites.
Anywhere from three to six white or
buffy eggs are laid, with four being a
common clutch. Incubation takes about
12 to 14 days, with the female doing most
of the incubating. Once the eggs hatch,
both parents participate in the feeding
of the hatchlings. They are fed by
regurgitation of mostly insect matter.
Two broods are common in the bird's
more southerly range, and the female
starts her new brood while the male is
finishing up the feeding of the first brood.
She will often refurbish the old nest for
a second use.
The least flycatcher's menu includes
flying insects of all kinds: flying ants, flies,
bees, wasps, dragonflies, beetles, moths,
moth larvae such as cankerworms, and
spiders. Small amounts of wild berries like
elderberry and pokeweed berries are also
consumed. For habitat, the least
flycatcher favors brushy edges of streams,
ponds, marshes, pastures, meadows and
woodlands; any open country with lowgrowing
trees and shrubs, along country
roads, in orchards, rural and suburban
gardens and in parks.
In our mountain regions, look for least
flycatchers in valleys, meadows and
along rivers and streams. They are rarely
found in deep woods. They don't appear
to fear humans at all and will often come
nearby to an elevated perch to wait for
flying insects. However, they are also
restless and will stop for only a short
time and move from one outlook perch
to another quickly.
By about the end of July, the " Che-BEC "
call will no longer be heard and by late
August small bands of flycatchers will
start wandering southward. From early
September into October, more northerly
breeders from Canada will join with other
small birds like sparrows and migrating
warblers on the move. They winter in
Mexico, Panama and Peru. 
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Cooperative Living February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living February 2018