American dusky flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

The American dusky flycatcher, or simply dusky flycatcher, is a small, insectivorous passerine of the tyrant flycatcher family.

The dusky flycatcher is one of many species in the genus ''Empidonax''. These species are very similar in appearance and behavior, and they are notoriously difficult to differentiate. The best characteristics for distinguishing these species are voice, breeding habitat, and range.
American dusky flycatcher I'm having a bit of trouble with this little somewhat nondescript bird.. I think it may be a Pacific slope flycatcher, but there are several species that overlap and look very similar. The good news my husband made a sound recording of the little guy too - so I may be able to differentiate it by it's call. 

My husband and I sat down with his recording and the xeno-canto website Ferdy pointed me to and I'm now somewhat confidant that this is a Cordilleran flycatcher - it still looks a titch outside the reported range, but really not by much at all.. (my eyes are good, but so much for my ears :p... see update below)

Here's his recording - http://www.xeno-canto.org/370066 and it's this particular bird even :) -he's put it up as unknown on xeno-canto in the hopes we can get some confirmation. We really think it's either cordilleran or pacific slope. LOL - the recording comes through and it's one that I hadn't even short listed... American dusky flycatcher.  American dusky flycatcher,Empidonax oberholseri,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Appearance

Adults have olive-gray upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a noticeable medium-width white eye ring, white wing bars and a medium length tail. The breast is washed with olive-gray. The bill is mainly dark. It is a bit smaller than the gray flycatcher and a bit larger than the Hammond's flycatcher.

Distribution

These birds migrate to southern Arizona and Mexico. As non-breeding residents in the south of their migration range, they are passage migrants over the deserts of the southwest US, the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, where they make their stops along the flyway.

Behavior

They wait on an open perch and fly out to catch insects in flight, , also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering, .

Habitat

Their breeding habitat is mountain slopes and foothills with brush and scattered trees across western North America. They make a cup nest low in a vertical fork in a shrub.

References:

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyTyrannidae
GenusEmpidonax
SpeciesE. oberholseri