Gray Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

The Gray Flycatcher is found in brushy, arid habitats. This bird breeds in the Great Basin and in semi-arid woodlands. We often find them in shrublands of the western inter-mountain region, and they spend winters in much of Mexico.

Earlier, I presented a brief discussion in the Dusky Flycatcher account. I brought up some issues surrounding identification confusion between Hammond’s, Dusky, and Gray Flycatchers. In further researching the present species, I found some information about ornithologist Allan Robert Phillips (1914 – 1996). He was a prolific author and researcher, and he co-edited the book The Birds of Arizona in 1964. His research in 1939 and 1944 helped separate the Dusky Flycatcher from the Gray Flycatcher. The Gray Flycatcher was recognised as a distinct species in 1889. Yet collectors continued to misidentify specimens in museum collections. Phillips shed light on features such as the slow downward pumping action of this bird’s tail, which helped sort out some birds in the field.

Modern taxonomists regard the Gray Flycatcher as monotypic (i.e. there are no subspecies).

My experience with this species to date is limited to a single meeting in the Imperial Valley, near Brawley (California). I hope it will not be my last encounter.