NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
American Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri A. R. Phillips, 1939
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.
Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, southern Nevada
VJAnderson · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The American dusky flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri), or simply dusky flycatcher, is a small insectivorous passerine of the tyrant flycatcher family.
The dusky flycatcher is one of many species in the genus Empidonax. These species are very similar in appearance and behavior, and they are notoriously difficult to differentiate. The best characteristics for distinguishing these species are voice, breeding habitat, and range.
Wikipedia contributors, American dusky flycatcher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:10:02.863812+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Empidonax oberholseri A. R. Phillips, 1939
- Name authority
- A. R. Phillips, 1939
- Common name
- American Dusky 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 oberholseri A. R. Phillips, 1939
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 |
| Western FlycatcherEmpidonax difficilis S. F. Baird, 1858 | 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 |
| 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.
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=178346 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.
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:39HWL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.