Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The Yellow-bellied flycatcher ranges from being common to uncommon on its breeding grounds, and is not often seen while migrating. This probably does not represent any threat of endangerment, but demonstrates that this is not a very visible species.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known negative effects on humans or on any animal
species which we consider beneficial.
The Yellow-bellied flycatcher has little impact on humans, other
than feeding on insects which we consider to be an annoyance.
The Yellow-bellied flycatcher is insectivorous, although it may
occasionally eat some berries. They pick insects off of foliage
or hawk, catching insects in the air and returning to a perch.
They tend to stay near the forest floor. Their rictal bristles
help to catch insects, and a hooked beak helps hold them.
Yellow-bellied flycatchers breed from southern Arctic Canada, across Canada from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic provinces and the north-easternmost states. In the spring
and fall, they migrate in the eastern half of the United States.
Their wintering grounds are in southern Central America.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )
Yellow-bellied flycatchers can be found in forested areas and along foothills. They prefer moist environments such as bogs and
the edges of mixed wood and coniferous forests, particularly
near water bodies.
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 48 months.
As the name suggests, Yellow-bellied flycatchers have yellow
bellies and throats. They are bright green on their backs. They
have light-colored rings around their eyes and wing bars. Flycatchers of the genus Empidonax, including Empidonax flaviventris, are monomorphic, the sexes look alike. There are
rictal bristles around the beak, which is fairly wide and flat.
Average mass: 12 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 11.9 g.
Empidonax flaviventris nests on or near the ground. The female
builds and lines a cup-shaped nest with mosses and plant material. A clutch of 3 to 5 white eggs with brown spots is laid. On average, each egg meausures 13x17 mm. Both male and female tend the young. Breeding occurs between May and late August.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Average time to hatching: 15 days.
Average eggs per season: 3.
A small (5 ½ inches) flycatcher resembling several related species in the genus Empidonax, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher may best be separated from its relatives not by appearance, but by its ‘chu-wee’ song. Physical field marks include a yellow-green body, white eye ring, pale breast, thin bill, and white wing bars. Male and female Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are similar to one another in all seasons. The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher breeds across much of Canada, Alaska, and northern portions of the United States. Smaller populations occur south of this species main range at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Yellow-bellied Flycatchers spend the winter in Central America, although identifying this species’ in its winter range is difficult due to its similarity to other related species. In summer, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers breed in northern evergreen forests, particularly those dominated by spruce trees. On migration, this species may be found in deciduous forests across North America. In winter, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are found in dense tropical forests as well as highland pine forests in the northern part of its winter range. This species primarily eats small insects, particularly midges and gnats. In northern forests in summer, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are most likely to be seen darting through the canopy while catching insects in flight. Even when active, however, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a difficult bird to observe. Learning this species’ song is crucial to separating it from its relatives, and silent birds are frequently impossible to identify. Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are primarily active during the day, but, like many migratory songbirds, this species migrates at night.
A small (5 ½ inches) flycatcher resembling several related species in the genusEmpidonax, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher may best be separated from its relatives not by appearance, but by its ‘chu-wee’ song. Physical field marks include a yellow-green body, white eye ring, pale breast, thin bill, and white wing bars. Male and female Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are similar to one another in all seasons. The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher breeds across much of Canada, Alaska, and northern portions of the United States. Smaller populations occur south of this species main range at higher elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Yellow-bellied Flycatchers spend the winter in Central America, although identifying this species’ in its winter range is difficult due to its similarity to other related species. In summer, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers breed in northern evergreen forests, particularly those dominated by spruce trees. On migration, this species may be found in deciduous forests across North America. In winter, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are found in dense tropical forests as well as highland pine forests in the northern part of its winter range. This species primarily eats small insects, particularly midges and gnats. In northern forests in summer, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are most likely to be seen darting through the canopy while catching insects in flight. Even when active, however, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a difficult bird to observe. Learning this species’ song is crucial to separating it from its relatives, and silent birds are frequently impossible to identify. Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are primarily active during the day, but, like many migratory songbirds, this species migrates at night.
The yellow-bellied flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.
Adults have greenish upperparts and yellowish underparts (especially on the throat), with a dusky wash on the chest. They have a white or yellow eye ring that lacks the teardrop projection of Pacific-slope (E. difficilis) or cordilleran (E. occidentalis) flycatchers, white or yellowish wing bars that contrast strongly against the black wings, a broad, flat bill, and a relatively short tail when compared to other members of the genus. The upper mandible of the bill is dark, while the lower mandible is orange-pink. DNA testing in 2014 confirmed a field mark, involving the extent of buffy edging on the secondaries, to reliably distinguish this species from the two so-called "Western Flycatchers."[2][3]
Measurements:[4]
Yellow-bellied flycatchers wait on a perch low or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight, sometimes hovering over foliage. They sometimes eat berries or seeds.
The yellow-bellied flycatcher's song can be transcribed as a rough, descending "tse-berk", which can be similar to the more common least flycatcher's snappier, more evenly pitched "che-bek."
Their breeding habitat is wet northern woods, especially spruce bogs, across Canada and the northeastern United States. They make a cup nest in sphagnum moss on or near the ground.
These birds migrate to southern Mexico and Central America.
The yellow-bellied flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris) is a small insect-eating bird of the tyrant flycatcher family.
