NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis S. F. Baird, 1858
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The western flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) is a small insectivorous bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is native to western North America, where it breeds in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast forests and mountain ranges from California to Alaska and south to central Mexico; northern populations migrate south to Mexico for the winter.
Wikipedia contributors, Western flycatcher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:15:56.421351+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Empidonax difficilis S. F. Baird, 1858
- Name authority
- S. F. Baird, 1858
- Common name
- Western Flycatcher
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Empidonax
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTyrannidae
- genusEmpidonax Cabanis, 1855
- speciesEmpidonax difficilis S. F. Baird, 1858
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Empidonax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated FlycatcherEmpidonax albigularis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1859 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum Brewster, 1895 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellowish FlycatcherEmpidonax flavescens Lawrence, 1865 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii (Xántus de Vesey, 1858) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii (Audubon, 1828) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| American Grey FlycatcherEmpidonax wrightii S. F. Baird, 1858 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-capped FlycatcherEmpidonax atriceps Salvin, 1870 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris (W. M. Baird & S. F. Baird, 1843) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pine FlycatcherEmpidonax affinis (Swainson, 1827) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus (W. M. Baird & S. F. Baird, 1843) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| American Dusky FlycatcherEmpidonax oberholseri A. R. Phillips, 1939 | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens (Vieillot, 1818) | TyrannidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178348 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:39HWB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.