Photo: Becky Matsubara · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Flycatchers
Western Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
A small, olive-green flycatcher with a yellowish wash on the belly, teardrop-shaped eye-ring, and a distinctive rising "su-weet" call. Formerly known as Pacific-slope Flycatcher before the 2023 re-lump.
Current regional viewing notes
Shaded forest ravines, stream banks, and mossy forest undergrowth around Hoonah; often nests on mossy ledges and under bridges.
Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.
Habitat
Shaded forest ravines, stream banks, and coniferous forest undergrowth.
Diet
Flying insects caught by sallying from a perch; also some berries.
Natural history note
The Western Flycatcher was formerly split into Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatcher but was re-lumped into a single species in 2023 when genetic studies showed the split was not well supported.