Empidonax alnorum
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The alder flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) is a small insect-eating bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. The genus name Empidonax is from Ancient Greek empis, "gnat", and anax, "master". The specific alnorum is Latin and means "of the alders".
E. alnorum is one of the larger Empidonax species, attaining a length of 13–17 cm (5.1–6.7 in), and a weight of 12–14 g (0.42–0.49 oz). The wingspan ranges from 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in). The upperparts of E. alnorum are dull greenish-olive. The crown is a slightly darker olive-green than the back. The throat is white, with a darker breast band. Thin white rings surround the eyes. The bill is wide and moderate in length, with pinkish or yellow-orange lower mandible and black upper mandible. Wings are generally black, with white wing bars and white edges of the innermost secondaries (tertials). Juveniles have brownish upperparts, yellow underparts, and yellowish brown or buff wingbars.
E. alnorum is similar in appearance to the eastern wood pewee (Contopus virens) and the eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), as well as the nearly identical willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) but E. alnorum can be distinguished by its smaller size and... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Alder Flycatcher sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 1,174 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Alder Flycatcher in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Alder Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 37
Of the 37 parks where we can rate Alder Flycatcher sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 20%), Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Alder Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Acadia National Park (1,174 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
