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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a species of small passerines of the tyrant flycatcher family. Its broad range of distribution makes its population relatively invulnerable for some time to come.

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Passeriformes
Family Tyrannidae
Genus Empidonax
Scientific Name Empidonax flaviventris
Yellow bellied Flycatcher Range

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Range

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Pictures

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Pictures

Quick Information

Also Known As Moucherolle à ventre jaune (French), Mosquareta barriga-amarilla, Mosquerito de vientre amarillo (Spanish)
Similar Species Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher
Size 5.1-5.9 in (12.9-14.9 cm)
Wingspan 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
Weight 0.3-0.6 oz (8.5-17 g)
Color Adults: Greenish above and yellowish below, with a dark-colored breast; white or yellow eye-ring and wing-bars, upper mandible is dark while the lower one is pinkish-orange
Juveniles: Similar to adults
Range of Distribution Northeastern United States and Throughout Canada, migrates to Central America
Habitat Breeding: Peatlands and coniferous forests
Nesting: Swamps, bogs, and moist forests
Winter: Dense rainforests, pine-oak forests, montane evergreen forests and shaded coffee plantations
Sounds Songs heard mostly during flight at dawn and dusk; described as ‘chiu chiu’, ‘pse-k’, ‘chebek’; distinctive calls include a  ‘chu-wee’, with the pitch slowly ascending, a rough, sharp ‘peeek’ and a softer ‘pyuuu’, with a descending pitch 
Lifespan Around 5 years 2 months
Diet Insects and arthropods, sometimes eats fruits
Adaptations They can hover in flight; this aids them in picking insects from leaves without having to land
Clutch Size 2-5
Incubation Period 12-14 days
Predators Likely to be preyed on by snakes and birds of prey
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern
Yellow Bellied Flycatcher Bird

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher Bird

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Nest

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Nest

Behavior

Yellow-bellied flycatchers are secretive birds, even during the breeding season they stay inconspicuous and as such are difficult to locate. They forage by perching at low to medium heights in the forest and flying out and catching insects in mid-air. They also pick insects from foliage and sometimes even from the perch itself. Males are territorial and actively chase away other intruding males.

Yellow Flycatcher

Yellow Flycatcher

Mating & Reproduction

These monogamous animals breed between May and August. Females build a cup-shaped nest on or near the ground and line it with moss and plant parts; nests are very well hidden. Incubation is done by the female.

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Juvenile

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Juvenile

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Baby

Yellow bellied Flycatcher Baby

Life-cycle

Baby yellow-bellied flycatchers are featherless and helpless when hatched from the brown-spotted white eggs; they are looked after by both parents before fledging at around 13 days old. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 1 year.

Interesting Facts

  • Some yellow-bellied flycatcher sightings have been reported from Greenland.
  • The nests of yellow-bellied flycatchers are often used by brown-headed cowbirds for laying their eggs.
Yellow Bellied Flycatcher Photo

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher Photo

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

References:

  1. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Flycatcher/lifehistory
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_flycatcher
  3. https://www.beautyofbirds.com/yellowbelliedflycatchers.html
  4. http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-bellied-flycatcher
  5. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/greatlakes/species/ybfl.htm

Published on September 19th 2016 by Sudipto Chakrabarti under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 2nd December 2022.

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