Tyrant Flycatchers and Allies
Empidonax hammondii
The Hammond's Flycatcher is a small, migratory songbird of western North America, often challenging to identify due to its subtle plumage. It is a member of the *Empidonax* genus, known for its similar-looking species. This flycatcher primarily inhabits cool, coniferous forests, where it forages for insects.
Typical adult measurements.
Individuals and populations vary.
01 / The telltale details
Start with shape and behavior. Then look for the smaller details.
Dull grayish-olive upperparts, darker wings and tail, with whitish underparts and a grayish breast wash.
Features a conspicuous, narrow white eye-ring that may appear slightly pointed at the back.
Possesses a small, dark bill and a relatively short tail.
Displays two pale wingbars and a relatively long primary projection, giving the wings a long appearance.
02 / A place in the world
During breeding season, Hammond's Flycatchers prefer cool, mature coniferous or mixed forests, often with closed canopies and open understories, typically at higher elevations. In winter, they inhabit montane forests, including pine and pine-oak associations.
Breeds from east-central Alaska, southern Yukon, and northeastern British Columbia, south through western North America to east-central California, Utah, northeastern Arizona, western Colorado, and north-central New Mexico. Winters primarily in Mexico and Central America.
This species is a long-distance migrant, traveling between its northern breeding grounds and southern wintering areas. Spring migration occurs from mid-March to early June, with males typically migrating earlier than females. Fall migration is prolonged, from late August through late October.
03 / Listen a little closer
The song is a series of three rough phrases, often rendered as "see-wit...bzurrp...bzeep" or "seweep-tsurp-seep." Calls include a high "peep" and a soft "whit."
04 / The life behind the feathers
The diet consists almost exclusively of insects, including beetles, caterpillars, moths, flies, leafhoppers, small wasps, bees, ants, and spiders. Winter diet is not well documented.
Hammond's Flycatchers primarily forage by watching from a perch, then sallying out to catch flying insects in mid-air, often returning to the same perch to consume them. They may also glean insects from foliage, branches, or the ground, particularly earlier in the breeding season.
The female builds a cup-shaped nest of weed stems, grass, bark strips, and lichens, lined with finer materials like feathers and fur, often incorporating spiderwebs. Nests are typically saddled on horizontal branches of conifers, 3-30 meters above the ground. The female incubates 3-4 creamy white eggs, sometimes lightly spotted, for 15-16 days. Both parents feed the young, which fledge in 16-18 days.
During courtship, males approach females with trilled calls and fluttering wings. They are socially monogamous and territorial during the breeding season, with males defending territories through song. They are generally inconspicuous and not gregarious, often perching quietly.
One more reason to pay attention
Hammond's Flycatcher is named in honor of William Alexander Hammond, a 19th-century U.S. Army surgeon general who collected bird specimens.
This species is considered an 'Empid rite of passage' for birders due to the difficulty of visual identification, making voice essential.
Hammond's Flycatchers are forest insectivores and may play a role in controlling forest insect populations.
05 / An eye for the difference
Hammond's has a shorter bill, longer primary projection, and a larger-headed appearance; it prefers evergreen forests.
Hammond's has a shorter tail, shorter bill, stronger eye-ring, and longer primary projection.
Pacific-slope Flycatchers are typically found at lower elevations and do not occur in lodgepole pine habitats.
AI-assisted species research. Prepared September 2026. Details can vary across regions and populations.