June 6, 2010, Adirondack Mountains
near Paul Smiths, New York
An emphatic che-lek! alerted us to the presence of a small flycatcher among spruces and tamaracks next to a wet, boggy area. A quick look revealed that it was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (as opposed to a Least Flycatcher, which sounds very similar). Luckily, he was a friendly chap and allowed me to get some really nice video clips as he perched on a fallen branch all covered with lichen:
The Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher breeds in the northern boreal forest, its broad range stretching across Canada from Newfoundland almost to Alaska (see range map below). While che-lek! is its most commonly-heard vocalization, it also produces a rising melodic chu-wee or tu-wee that sounds much like one of the calls of the Eastern Wood Pewee. Other calls are also given, especially during encounters between mates or rivals. Check out the various audio examples featured below:
Typical Song:
Typical song of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. 5 am, June 15, 2009 in the Adirondack Mountains near Paul Smiths, New York. Recorded by Lang Elliott.
Tu-wee Calls:
Tu-wee calls of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. May, 1989 in the Adirondack Mountains near Paul Smiths, New York. Recorded by Ted Mack.
Aggressive Burry Calls:
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, aggressive burry calls given during an encounter. 9am, June 7, 2010 in the Adirondack Mountains near Pauls Smiths, New York. Recorded by Bob McGuire.
Calls given during an interaction between mates: (peeh calls and twitters):
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, calls given during an interaction, probably between mates. 10 am, June 9, 2010 in the Adirondack Mountains near Paul Smiths, New York. Recorded by Bob McGuire.
click for large map with color codes
