Dusky Flycatcher

Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Mexico City

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

635 Verified sightings at Mexico City
3,698 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Dusky Flycatcher

The American dusky flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri), or simply dusky flycatcher, is a small insectivorous passerine of the tyrant flycatcher family. The dusky flycatcher is one of many species in the genus Empidonax. These species are very similar in appearance and behavior, and they are notoriously difficult to differentiate. The best characteristics for distinguishing these species are voice, breeding habitat, and range.

Adults have olive-gray upperparts, darker on the wings and tail, with whitish underparts; they have a noticeable medium-width white eye ring, white wing bars and a medium length tail. The breast is washed with olive-gray. The bill is mainly dark. It is a bit smaller than the American grey flycatcher and a bit larger than the Hammond's flycatcher.

The male sings a three-part song. A common call is a dry whit, similar to that of other Empidonax flycatchers. A less common call, that is possibly only given by the male, is a sad dew-hic. The scientific name commemorates the American ornithologist Harry Church Oberholser.

These birds migrate to southern Arizona and Mexico. As non-breeding residents... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:29

United States · 2026

© Scott Olmstead · XC1080776 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:29

United States · 2024

© Brian Cox · XC939825 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:53

United States · 2025

© Alex Jones · XC1023804 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
12 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
14 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~10%
2 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
<5%
3 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
4 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dusky Flycatcher in Mexico City?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Flycatcher sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 635 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Dusky Flycatcher in Mexico City?

September to April

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Flycatcher in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in May to August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Dusky Flycatcher?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky 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.

Is Mexico City the best place to see a Dusky Flycatcher?

Yes

Of the 13 cities where we can rate Dusky Flycatcher sightings, Mexico City has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Puebla (México, under 5%) and Guadalajara (México, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Dusky Flycatcher live in Mexico City?

Same genus: Empidonax

The closest relatives of the Dusky Flycatcher that you can see in Mexico City (genus Empidonax, Empidonax Flycatchers) are Buff-breasted Flycatcher (about 10%) and Hammond's Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Dusky Flycatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dusky Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Mexico City (635 verified sightings), 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.

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