2023 lump

Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatcher are one again: Western Flycatcher

In 2023 Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Cordilleran Flycatcher were merged back into one species, Western Flycatcher, the name it had before the two were split.

Updated

What changed

Was a species of its ownPacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
Was a species of its ownCordilleran Flycatcher Empidonax occidentalis
Now one speciesWestern Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis

Nests in forests of the West, from the Pacific coast inland to the Rocky Mountains.

Who decided, and when

  • American Ornithological Society (AOS): the 64th Supplement to its Check-list of North American birds
  • eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2023 taxonomy update
  • AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees

Which bird is it now?

You don't need to any more. The two looked and sounded nearly the same, and across a wide area where they meet, birds are in between in looks, song and genes.

What it does to your list

If you had both Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatcher on your list, your total went down by one.

If you had only one of them, your bird is now Western Flycatcher and your count stays the same.

Check your own list. Drop your eBird download or type your birds: the free checker shows which of them this and other recent changes touched.

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