Gray Flycatcher
Empidonax wrightii
eBird describes the Gray Flycatcher this way: Drab, pale-gray flycatcher with little plumage contrast; very similar to other flycatchers, especially Dusky and Hammond’s. Often best identified by unique habit of wagging tail downward. Breeding habitat also distinctive: lower, more open habitat than other flycatchers, usually in sagebrush or open juniper forest. In migration and winter, habitat overlaps more with other flycatchers, but still tends to prefer more open areas. Other subtle differences in appearance include shorter wingtips, longer bill, and paler plumage. Song includes hoarse “chivik” phrase and higher, clearer “pseeoo.” Call similar to Dusky. Without an excellent view, sometimes best left unidentified. All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information about the Gray Flycatcher: Gray Flycatcher’s unassuming pale plumage fits perfectly with the color palette of the gray-green shrublands and foothills it inhabits. This flycatcher is a member of the notoriously difficult-to-identify genus Empidonax, but it has a telltale move that gives it away. The bird habitually dips its tail downward, recalling the way a phoebe wags its tail rather than the upward tail-flicking of some of its fellow Empidonax. Gray Flycatchers forage nimbly for insects in sagebrush, pine, and juniper habitats—often very low in the vegetation and sometimes on the ground.
I watched my first Gray Flycatcher along the Songbird Trail at Corn Creek on the morning of May 22, 2021. This is a difficult bird to identify, but, along with help from Merlin and Sibley’s, I am pretty confident in this identifications. Careful examination of my photos clearly shows the sharply defined tip of the narrow bill (with yellowish mandible), and the pale band across the forehead. For my blog post that includes my visit to Corn Creek, look here.
“Cool Facts” About the Gray Flycatcher From All About Birds:
- In autumn and early winter, the decidedly western Gray Flycatcher has turned up in nine eastern states and provinces. Scientists are not sure why migratory birds end up far off course like this. Strong weather does not explain many of the records of “vagrant” birds. Instead, some individuals may have faulty navigation systems that cause them to misorient toward the northeast, rather than toward the southwest.
- The similarity of Gray and Dusky Flycatchers has caused confusion for a long time. In fact, the specimen originally described as the “type,” or reference specimen, for Dusky Flycatcher turned out to be a Gray Flycatcher. Ornithologist Allan R. Phillips, a 20th century expert in Empidonax flycatchers, made this and many other important discoveries.
- The Gray Flycatcher was not recognized as breeding in the United States until the early 20th century. Before that time it was thought to breed in northern Mexico and to wander northward in the fall.