The Unknown Flycatcher

Sometimes you get a pretty good picture of a bird but can't get a definitive identification. When I saw this bird I got an Eastern Phoebe vibe, probably because they're one of the flycatchers I see the most. (I also see quite a few Eastern Kingbirds, but their sharp dark-and-white plumage contrast immediately ruled them out.)

Usually when I post these to iNaturalist, I have a pretty good idea of what the animal is, and usually iNaturalist confirms my identification with its identification suggestions. On this particular day, however, the iNaturalist suggestions weren't working, so I just went with my initial thought. I was a little surprised to see responses suggesting smaller but similar-looking flycatchers.

When this happens, I do what I normally do: I post the picture to the What's This Bird FB page, run by the American Birding Association. Though I've sometimes seen some spirited debates there, almost all the time they settle on an identification pretty quickly. But in this case the responses were noncommittal, providing an identification of either a Willow Flycatcher or an Alder Flycatcher. And the All About Birds webpage says that these 2 flycatchers can only be differentiated in the field by their song. 

Morals of the story:

  1. Although you'll frequently arrive at a correct ID by guessing the most common/obvious animal that looks like it, sometimes you've got a less obvious animal you're looking at.
  2. Though there are subtle clues that can help you identify most animals, there really are examples of animals that are essentially identical unless you're able to examine it in your hands, or with DNA analysis.

June 29, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 211850830, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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