Species: Western Flycatcher
Most recent capture date: 9/27/2023
Age: less than six months old

Notes: A few months ago, this bird would have been a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Ornithologists are gathering data and revising our understanding of bird relationships all the time, and just this year, based on genetic data from a previously-unstudied region, the experts decided to “lump” Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatchers into one species, the Western Flycatcher. This made a lot of sense considering that the two former-species were already nearly indistinguishable – but then, some similar-looking birds are genetically very distinct, so it’s always best to look at both morphology (appearance) and genetics together.

On a different note – look at this bird’s very orange mouth!