Olive-sided Flycatcher

Mary McCann· Host0:00

This is BirdNote. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] What a comfort it would be to legions of birders if every bird song were as easy to recognize and remember as that of the Olive-sided Flycatcher. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] Take a walk in the mountains of the North or West in summer and you’re likely to hear the Olive-sided Flycatcher’s blithely whistled three-note song. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] Bird ID guides have tried to capture its pattern and quality with such catch phrases as "quick three beers" or "what peeves you?" [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] The bird’s behavior also makes it easy to get to know. It perches conspicuously, bolt upright, high in the tops of dead trees. Then it sallies out to snatch flying insects. The Olive-sided Flycatcher is gray with a peaked crown and dark vest, and it stands about eight inches tall. And though it favors the edges of mountain forests, this migratory flycatcher also nests in small numbers in greenbelts and parks. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] It was once a common breeder in western forests, but the bird’s numbers have declined in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, but loss of trees where it winters, some four thousand miles away in South America, may be a leading cause. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] Do you drink coffee? You can help Olive-sided Flycatchers when you choose to drink shade-grown coffee. [Olive-sided Flycatcher song] For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann. BirdNote’s newsletter