Ash-throated Flycatcher
Myiarchus cinerascens
This species is remarkably water-efficient, often obtaining all the moisture it needs from its prey without ever needing to drink from standing water.
- Scientific name
- Myiarchus cinerascens
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Tyrannidae › Myiarchus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Arid scrublands, desert washes, and open pinyon-juniper woodlands.
- Diet
- Primarily insects like bees, wasps, and beetles; occasionally consumes small fruits and berries.
- Range
- Western United States, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala
- Size
- Length: 19-22 cm; Wingspan: 30-32 cm
- Lifespan
- 5-8 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and the loss of natural nesting cavities due to urban expansion and removal of dead trees.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid disrupting nesting behavior. If you find an injured bird, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to keep it as a pet.
The ash-throated flycatcher ( Myiarchus cinerascens ) is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant, retreating from most of the U.S. and northern and central Mexico, spending the winter from southern Mexico to Honduras. This bird is also prone to wander, with single birds often seen outside its normal breeding range as...
Photo: Bill Levine, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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