Willow Flycatcher, Bartram's Garden

In Albums: birds

A willow flycatcher, perched on a bare branch, with dense bright green leaves in the background

Jul 13th, 2012, by Alex Zorach

This photo shows a willow flycatcher which I observed at Bartram's Garden in West Philadelphia on July 13th, 2012.

These birds, like most members of the Empidonax genus, are hard to identify visually, but are often straightforward to identify by song and/or habitat.

I heard this bird singing extensively, and easily identified it by sound, but habitat also provides a consistent clue. This bird was in a mostly open habitat. The only other breeding flycatcher in the Philadelphia area, the Acadian Flycatcher, prefers dense forests.