taken in State of Minnesota USA

what is it?

[Rense]

What happens with the world if even you don't know a birds name...

Great looking shot though, an ID must be no problem to someone who knows this one!

[ivoire]

might be a least or alder flycatcher. see here:

File:Empidonax-minimus-001.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

File:Empidonax alnorum CT2.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[dcmsox2004]

never saw this species before... thanks for posting something new! dave m

[PentX Girl]

Nice capture...looks like a Flycatcher to me too...I just wasn't sure what kind. I get Great Crested Flycatchers...but they are a little more colorful...although in yours I seemed to have recognized that it might be in the Flycatcher family.

[Drewman]

I believe it's a Least Flycatcher. Very nice image.

[BillM]

Hi Wildman,
Looks like you folks are getting busy up there, nice shot too!
Kind of leaning towards Least Flycatcher, bright eye ring.

Rense, perhaps your right, but if I shoot one of these things and
and wife ask "what ya get" and I answer " just a little bird"
domestic tranquillity will be anything but!
Greatest manifestation of "LBA" known to man

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Nice image wildman, it is a flycatcher but I'm not going to argue about subspecies.

[wildman]

Kind of leaning towards Least Flycatcher, bright eye ring.

BINGO!

Bill got it right and for the right, and only reason, (applause).

At first I wasn't sure myself.

It was a Flycatcher (easy)
It was a Empidonax Flycatcher (pretty easy)

In my part of the world at this time of year it was one of three very closely related empidonax flycatchers:

1. Willow
2. Alder
3. Least

The Willow and Alder are so closely related genetically that you can't tell one from the other by field marks alone but only by hearing their songs. In fact they were once thought to be the same species - Traill's Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii).

Traills's Flycatcher was split into two species:
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) and the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum). They are so close genetically that they can be taught each others song I think.

Then there is the Least Flycatcher ((Empidonax minimus) not as close as the other two but still very close.

How to tell tell the difference? - Only the the Least Flycatcher has a bold distinct complete eye-ring, as Bill noted, the other two have notable less obvious and distinct eye-rings. A subtle difference but it's there. It's the difference in the eye-ring and pretty much nothing else between the three as far as field marks are concerned.

If it had been an Alder or Willow we probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference by a photo alone other than it was one or the other.

End of Ornithology lecture 101.

Thanks all, it's been fun.
Wildman

[slowpez]

Stunning photograph. Sharp and lovely Dof.