Buff-breasted Flycatcher Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small flycatcher with a very short, thin bill, large eyes and head for its size, and medium-length wings and tail.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, slightly smaller than an Orange-crowned Warbler.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 5.1 in (13 cm)
    • Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz (6-9 g)

  © John van Dort / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Pale or sandy brown above with darker wings and tail. Warm buffy breast, pale wingbars and lores, and a striking pale eyering.

• Behavior

  Forages by sallying out from perches in trees, often pines, to capture insects in flight, often returning to the same perch. Also occasionally eats spiders or ants from foliage, or from the ground. Males sing from prominent perches, mostly in the morning.
• Habitat

  Mountain canyon bottoms with pine and oak trees but relatively little understory, mostly grasses with scattered shrubs.