LEAST FLYCATCHER GALLERY
(Empidonax minimus)

eBird offers this description of the Least Flycatcher:  Small, olive flycatcher. Grayish-olive above with paler belly. Shows two prominent whitish wingbars. White eye-ring is usually bold and slightly wider behind the eye. Most easily identified by voice: a loud “che-BEK, che-BEK” often repeated in bursts. Found in a variety of wooded or shrubby habitats during summer, migration, and winter. Active, often changing perches as it forages for insects, occasionally flicking its wings and tail.

I saw my first Least Flycatcher early on the morning of Monday, May 18, 2020, at Scout Pond located in Warbler Woods Sanctuary in Cibolo, Texas.  At least, I think I saw a Least Flycatcher.  I was at Scout Pond with a very experienced bird watcher/friend (named Paul) and he identified the bird we saw as a Least Flycatcher.  When I got home, I ran my picture through the Merlin App and it identified the bird as a Hammond’s Flycatcher, which is a much rarer bird.  The Sibley Guide to Birds was no help.  I take that back, it was helpful.  On page 357 it says all Empidonax flycatchers are best identified by their voice, or their song.  Since Paul and I did not hear this bird sing, I trust Paul’s experience, his knowledge, and his good eye for birds– the bird we saw was a Least Flycatcher!  Of course, if you have a different opinion, I would love to hear from you.  In the meantime, enjoy my photo!

Least Flycatcher at Scout Pond, May 18, 2020.

Some “Cool Facts” about Least Flycatchers from All About Birds:

  • Least Flycatchers don’t waste any time on the breeding grounds. It takes them about 58 days to find a mate, build a nest, lay eggs, and raise their young from nestlings to independence, and they only spend about 64 days in their summer homes. That doesn’t leave them much free time.
  • Many passerines grow new feathers on the breeding grounds after nesting, but some flycatchers wait until they get to their wintering grounds. Least Flycatchers wait until they arrive in Mexico and Central America in mid-August through early September to start growing new feathers.
  • Least Flycatchers travel between 60 and 72 miles per day to reach their wintering grounds, a journey that takes them about 25 days.
  • One Least Flycatcher nest was found to have used dragonfly wings as nest lining.
  • The oldest recorded Least Flycatcher was at least 8 years old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Virginia in 1985. It had been banded in the same state in 1977.