Empidonax minimus
Silhouette: Emily Willoughby · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The least flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) (also called chebec, or chebecker, after the sound it makes) is a small insect-eating bird. It is the smallest Empidonax flycatcher in eastern North America. The closest relative to the least flycatcher was long thought to be the Hammond's flycatcher based on similarities in their songs and appearances. However, mitochondrial DNA analysis has revealed that the least flycatcher diverges significantly from its congeners and does not possess any sister taxa.
The least flycatcher is hard to distinguish from the other birds of its genus. The bird is one of the smallest of the genus Empidonax, measuring 12 to 14 cm in height with a wingspan of 19 to 22 cm and weighing approximately 10.3 g. Its plumage is dull olive-gray on its back and whitish on its belly, notably brighter than the other Empidonax birds. The least flycatcher's wings are lined with two white bars, and white rings contour its eyes. Its beak is short and the lower mandible is yellowish. The juveniles look similar to the adults except that their wing bars are slightly darker, with tawny/olive hues. Because other flycatchers also have those field marks... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Least Flycatcher sighting in El Triunfo on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 221 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Least Flycatcher in El Triunfo on a given day, against about 10% in January, March, May, July–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of El Triunfo's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 420 mm in June. June has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Least 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.
8th of 50
Of the 50 parks where we can rate Least Flycatcher sightings, El Triunfo ranks 8th at about 20%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 50%), Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 40%) and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Empidonax
The closest relatives of the Least Flycatcher that you can see in El Triunfo (genus Empidonax, Empidonax Flycatchers) are Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (about 20%), Yellowish Flycatcher (about 20%) and Hammond's Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Least Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in El Triunfo (36 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.
