Olive-sided Flycatcher

The olive-sided flycatcher is distributed throughout North and South America. Its breeding habitat ranges from California and New Mexico all the way up to central Alaska, then across Canada (except for most of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) and through a portion of northeastern US. Its non-breeding habitat is mainly in the northern part of South America and a small area in Central America. Their breeding habitat is mainly in open areas or edges of boreal, coniferous forests or temperate western forests, in areas up to 10,000 feet in elevation (e.g., in the Rockies), and always near water. They can also nest in cities or on farms. In their non-breeding habitat, olive-sided flycatchers use similar habitats as their breeding habitats, such as open areas and forest edges, but do not need water proximity as much as in their breeding habitat. They are also associated with habitats with very tall trees. Two forest habitats used by olive-sided flycatchers in the winter are tropical montane and tropical lowland evergreen forests.

Olive-sided flycatchers breed once per year and usually lay clutches of 3 to 4 eggs. The incubation period lasts for 15 to 19 days and so does the nestling stage. The egg is approximately 0.8–0.9 inches long by 0.6–0.7 inches wide and is a creamy white colour with brownish spots that form a ring on the larger end of the egg. The nest location is chosen by the female and is usually on a horizontal branch of coniferous trees, but they have also been seen on other types of trees. The lowest nest was 5 feet high and the highest was 197 feet. In Western regions, olive-sided flycatchers tend to have higher nests than in their Eastern distributions. The nest is about 4.6 inches wide on the outside and 2.8 inches wide on the inside and is cup-shaped. The outer part is made with twigs and small branches, while the inside is usually lined with finer material such as grass, lichen, and needles. The hatching are born naked and helpless. The male defends a large area around the nesting territory. Both parents feed the young birds.