{"id":6311,"date":"2024-10-04T18:10:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T18:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=6311"},"modified":"2024-10-04T18:10:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T18:10:09","slug":"the-bird-of-the-year-olive-sided-flycatcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2024\/10\/04\/the-bird-of-the-year-olive-sided-flycatcher\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bird of the Year: Olive-sided Flycatcher!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Drumroll please for Birds Canada’s 2024 Avian Ambassador<\/em>… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winner is the OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER<\/strong>! (Birds Canada<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IDENTIFICATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Olive-sided Flycatchers (Contopus cooperi<\/em>) are classified under class Aves, order Passeriformes, and family Tyrannidae (Government of Canada, 2018). The key to identifying this flycatcher against similar species is the prominent colouring of the breast plumage, seemingly wearing a grey vest with a white undershirt (Sibley, 2016). This identifying feature is present in both males and females (All About Birds<\/a>); being the best dressed whether it’s an award ceremony or being the best man at your wedding. So why does this bird claim to be “Olive-sided” if the feathers appear as shades of grey? The wing feathers are darker than the vest with olive tones that are only visible when the feathers have been freshly molted or if the lighting is perfect (All About Birds<\/a>)… A bird that needs the spotlight. White tufts are located on the sides of their rump, although only visible when relaxed (Sibley, 2016), which is rare since they’re usually seen upright, scanning for the next meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit:Steve Wickliffe<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Credit:Amy Clark Courtney<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Olive-sided Flycatchers are stocky and barrel-chested with a relative size between a sparrow and a robin, averaging 19 cm in length and a mass of 34 g (All About Birds<\/a>). Relative to its small size, its dark grey head is large with a heavy and long bill. The wings are long and pointed, with an average wingspan of 33 cm, and the tail is short relative to the wings, squared off and lightly notched (Sibley, 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An Olive-sided Flycatcher flying to its perch. Credit: Marlene Cashen<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is an Olive-sided Flycatcher’s favourite beverage? “Quick, Three Beers<\/em>!” So demanding. Their song’s three-note whistle is easily recognizable and can be heard up to 1 km away (Government of Canada, 2018). Their call on the other hand is a low and hard Pep, Pep, Pep<\/em> (Sibley, 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olive-sided Flycatcher’s song: Quick, Three Beers!<\/em> (Audubon<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Olive-sided Flycatcher’s call: Pep, Pep, Pep<\/em> (Audubon<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Olive-sided Flycatchers breed mostly in boreal and western coniferous forests, from sea level to the alpines. They nest in openings or edges of forests, including wetlands, partially logged areas, and recently burnt forests. Snags (dead or dying trees with bare limbs) are commonly found in their habitats, supplying the flycatcher with perches for singing, foraging, and guarding their habitat (All About Birds<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An example of Boreal wetland habitat fragmentation used by Olive-sided Flycatchers. Credit: Alexandra Pope<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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During migration, they are found in partially treed forests along waterbodies with perching opportunities. Their migration is long, arriving on breeding grounds in Canada and parts of the United States in late spring, and leaving around August, where some migrate a distance greater than 10,000 km! On their wintering grounds, they use forests with gaps and forest edges, in high and low elevations of Central and South America (All About Birds<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1.<\/strong> Distribution Map. Credit: All About Birds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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FEEDING<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This may be a shocking statement and I hope you believe me, but Olive-sided Flycatchers catch flies<\/strong>! Most of their time is spent perched up high on tree branches and snags, looking for flying insects. When the prey is spotted, they launch off their perch, catch the insect in their bill, and return to their perch to gobble down their meal; this maneuver is called “sallying” (All About Birds<\/a>). Their bills are so strong that if you listen to an Olive-sided Flycatcher catch an insect from the air, you can hear a loud SNAP<\/em> once their bill closes (Birds Canada<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Their meals of choice include flies, flying ants, wasps, bees, dragonflies, beetles, moths, and so on. During the non-breeding season, only a few observations of Olive-sided Flycatchers eating berries have been recorded (All About Birds<\/a>). They love their flying protein- maybe it’s the thrill of the chase!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo credit: Dan Streiffert<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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