"The tiny Empidonax flycatchers are extremely difficult to identify. All are drab olive-gray birds with prominent wing-bars and light eye-rings ... Texas hosts nine of these confusing five- to six-inch empids ... Lingering empids are sometimes seen in winter, but most migrate well south of the Rio Grande."

The Acadian Flycatcher, the Willow Flycatcher & the Alder Flycatcher are very similar in appearance. So the choice of ID here may be arbirary.

Because the Field Guide to the Birds of North America (p. 330) says the Willow Flycatcher "Lacks prominent eye ring" as the bird above does, I have called it a Willow Flycatcher. The Acadian has a "yellow eye ring" (Field Guide to the Birds of North America, p. 328).

This is another Flycatcher, that appears to contrast with the one pictured above. I think it is a another species. Because of the difficulty of distinguishing among Flycatchers, I have entered only one species here ... and afterall, it may be an Acadian Flycatcher.

May 21, 2011.