Least Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Least Flycatcher (also called chebec, or chebecker, after the sound it makes), is a small insect-eating bird
. It is the smallest Empidonax flycatcher
in eastern North America
.
Adults have greyish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a conspicuous white eye ring, white wing bars, a small, short bill and a short tail. The breast is washed with grey and the sides of the belly with yellow. It is similar in appearance to the larger Eastern Wood Pewee
.
Their breeding habitat is open deciduous
or mixed woods across Canada
and the northern United States
. They make a cup nest on a fork in a small tree.
These birds migrate
to Mexico
and Central America
.
They wait on an open perch low or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight-(hawking
), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning
). They sometimes eat berries.
The song is a dry che-bec. The call is a sharp whit.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. It is the smallest Empidonax flycatcher
Tyrant flycatcher
The tyrant flycatchers are a family of passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They are considered the largest family of birds on Earth, with more than 400 species. They are the most diverse avian family in every country in the Americas, except for the United States and...
in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Adults have greyish-olive upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a conspicuous white eye ring, white wing bars, a small, short bill and a short tail. The breast is washed with grey and the sides of the belly with yellow. It is similar in appearance to the larger Eastern Wood Pewee
Eastern Wood Pewee
The Eastern Wood-pewee is a small tyrant flycatcher from North America. This bird and the Western Wood-pewee were formerly considered to be a single species...
.
Their breeding habitat is open deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
or mixed woods across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the northern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They make a cup nest on a fork in a small tree.
These birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
They wait on an open perch low or in the middle of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight-(hawking
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
), also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering (gleaning
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a term for a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is...
). They sometimes eat berries.
The song is a dry che-bec. The call is a sharp whit.