Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

First photographed: July 29, 2026
First location: Colorado, United States
Conservation status: Not Evaluated

Western flycatcher perched on a branch in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

An evolving study

Western Flycatcher portfolio

This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.

Natural history

Species at a glance

Empidonax difficilis

Overview

The Western Flycatcher is a small, olive-toned flycatcher of shaded western forests and wooded canyons. Like other Empidonax flycatchers, it is often identified most reliably by voice, habitat, and range rather than plumage alone.

Identification

Olive-green upperparts, yellowish underparts, two pale wingbars, a broad-based bill, and a bold teardrop-shaped pale eye ring that usually widens behind the eye. Plumage closely resembles related Empidonax species.

Range

Breeds through western North America from coastal forests to interior mountain ranges and migrates mainly to Mexico and Central America for winter.

Habitat

Moist conifer and mixed forest, shaded ravines, stream corridors, coastal woodland, and mountain canyons with sheltered nesting ledges or root masses.