| Scientific
name: |
Empidonax minimus |
| Date: |
June 22, 2011 |
| Time: |
3:30 |
| Length
of time observed: |
3-5 minutes. |
| Number: |
1 |
| Age: |
Adult |
| Sex: |
Male |
| Location: |
Rock Canyon, Provo, UT |
| County: |
Utah County |
| Latilong: |
6 |
| Elevation: |
~5,800 ft. |
| Distance
to bird: |
25 ft. |
| Optical
equipment: |
Nikon CF III 7x20 |
| Weather: |
Sunny, clear conditions. |
| Light
Conditions: |
Bright, direct sunlight. |
|
Description:
Size of bird: |
|
|
(Description:)
Basic Shape: |
|
|
(Description:)
Overall Pattern: |
|
|
(Description:)
Bill Type: |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and
Identifying Characteristics: |
Small, olive-gray body. Bold
eye-ring, white and round. Prominently forked tail extended well beyond wing
tips. Whiteish buff wing bars on largely black wings. Head round and large in
proportion to rest of body. Light yellow tint on sides of breast and belly,
fading to a whiter central belly area and white throat. Dark Legs and feet.
Black upper mandible, yellow appearing on lower mandible. |
| Song
or call & method of delivery: |
Repeatedly made a sharp, two-tone
song. After several minutes of listening, both an ascending and a descending
version had been heard. |
| Behavior: |
Bird was found moving anxiously
between branches and various trees next to the rock climbing area known as, "The
Zoo." |
| Habitat: |
Spotted in a segment of trees up
Rock Canyon that were mostly deciduous, with a few evergreens. |
Similar
species and
how
were they eliminated: |
Willow Flycatcher is similar, but
doesn't have the bold eye-ring of the Least Flycatcher. Most similar species, in
fact, can be eliminated simply by the fact that they don't have both the bold
eye-ring AND the prominently forked tail. Dusky, Hammond's, and Gray are all
larger, grayer and have different eye-ring shape.
The number one distinguishing factor that makes me certain that it was a Least
Flycatcher, however, is the call. I have an application on my cell phone that
allows me to listen to bird calls and the Least has a very distinctive song that
separates it from all other empids. After confirming that the song recording on
my Sibley application matched what I was hearing, there was no question that I
was seeing a Least Flycatcher. |
Previous
experience with
this & similar species: |
First time seeing a Least, but have
experience with other Empidonax Flycatchers in Utah. |
| References
consulted: |
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of
Western North America, Fourth Edition. The Sibley eGuide to the Birds of North
America (Cell phone application) |
| Description
from: |
Notes made later |
| Observer: |
Justin Linge |
| Observer's
address: |
Orem, UT |
| Observer's
e-mail address: |
justinlinge@gmail.com |
|
Other
observers who independently identified
this bird: |
|
| Date
prepared: |
June 23, 2011 |
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Additional
material: |
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Additional_Comments: |
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