The Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Empidonax fulvifrons is a small insect-eating bird. It is the smallest Empidonax flycatcher, with typical size ranging from 11.5-13 cm.
Adults have olive gray upperparts, and darker coloration on the wings and tail; they have a conspicuous white eye ring, white wing bars, a small bill and a short tail. The breast of this species is very distinctive, washed with a strong orange buff color.
Buff-breasted Flycatchers preferred breeding habitat is scrub and open woodlands. They usually make a cup nest on a fork in a tree. Females usually lay 2 eggs.
The Buff-breasted Flycatcher is found from southeasternmost Arizona in the United States through Mexico to southern Honduras.
These birds are partial migrants, retreating from northernmost breeding areas in the United States and northern Mexico for the winter.
They wait on an open perch of a shrub or low branch of a tree and fly out to catch insects in flight, also sometimes picking insects from foliage while hovering.
The song is an alternating versed PIdew, piDEW. The call is a loud dry pit.
Subspecies
Various subspecies are recognized:
- Empidonax fulvifrons pygmaeus Coues, 1865 (Northern Buff-breasted Flycatcher or Fulvous Flycatcher)
- Empidonax fulvifrons fulvifrons (Giraud, 1841)
- Empidonax fulvifrons rubicundus Cabanis & Heine, 1859
- Empidonax fulvifrons brodkorbi Phillips, AR, 1966
- Empidonax fulvifrons fusciceps Nelson, 1904
- Empidonax fulvifrons inexpectatus Griscom, 1932
Names in other languages
- Spanish: Mosquerito canelo, Mosquero pechianteado, Mosquero Pecho Leonado, Mosqueta de Pecho Canela, Mosquerito canelo, Mosquero Pechicanelo
- French: Moucherolle ŕ poitrine fauve
- German: Braunbrusttyrann, Braunbrust-Tyrann
- Dutch: Blonde Feetiran
- Italian: Pigliamosche pettocamoscio
- Finnish: Rusorintasieppari
- Czech: Tyranovec hnedocelý
- Polish: Empidonka p?owa
