North American field guide
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Also known as:Traill's Flycatcher
Identification
Field notes
13-15 cm (5-6") Common in United States in pioneer deciduous forests, willow thickets, hawthorn and apple scrub.
Brownish-gray upperparts. Whitish throat. Pale olive breast. Pale yellow belly. Faint eye ring. Distinct wing bars.
Can only be reliably told from Alder Flycatcher by its drier habitat and distinct voice. Willow and Alder were once considered the same species.
Song: wheezy whistled buzzy "fitz-bew"; a "wit" call.
Details in the field
Photo gallery
Watch and learn
Videos
Willow Flycatcher Portrait
Credit: Larry BondWhere it lives
Distribution map
Source legend · original intervals
Loading the rebuilt map…
Unshaded in source · does not imply absence
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant · 1 rule
These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.
Willow Flycatcher
1 ruleRule 1 15 criteria · confidence 5
- Did the WINGS have STRIPES or PATCHES ?
- Yes · Unknown
- What colour was the BACK ?
- Olive (yellowish-green) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
- What colour was the BELLY ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
- What colour PATTERN if any was shown on the BREAST ?
- Uniform color · Unknown
- What colour was the BREAST ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Yellow · Olive (yellowish-green) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
- What colour was the THROAT ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the BILL ?
- Straight and slender · Straight and thick · Conical and slender · Flattened · Unknown
- What LENGTH was the BILL ?
- Short · Medium · Long · Unknown
- What FACIAL or HEAD features were noted if any ?
- Light area over, below, behind or around the eye · NONE of the above or a PLAIN unmarked FACE · Unknown
- What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
- Olive (yellowish-green) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
- What was the predominant colour of the HEAD ?
- Olive (yellowish-green) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
- How BIG was the bird ?
- Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
- What TYPE of bird was seen ?
- Warbler-like · Songbird (ground or perching bird)
- WHEN was the bird seen ?
- Spring · Summer · Fall
- What type of environment was the bird seen in?
- Open area: field, prairie, meadow, farmland, tundra · Thickets or shrubs · Deciduous forest · Mixed forest · Mountainous Terrain · Wooded freshwater habitat · Freshwater marsh or wetland · Freshwater shoreline