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The Ash-Throated Flycatcher in the East: an Overview

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The Ash-Throated Flycatcher in the East: an Overview DISTRIBUTION, IDENTIFICATION The Ash-throated Flycatcher in the East: A western-southwesternspecies formerly regarded as an accidental visitor in the East now apparently of regular occurrence William L. Murphy N SUNDAYDECEMBER I9, I979,I catchingthem in flight, althoughinsects guishthe speciesof Myiarchus flycatch- studied an Ash-throated Fly- were flying. Although I did not have an ers found in America north of Mexico catcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) for opportunity to photograph the fly- from the Ash-throated Flycatcher. more than an hour in a brushy backyard catcher,it was seenagain two dayslater in Haymarket, Prince William County, by David Smith of Haymarket, who in- HISTORICAL SIGHTINGS Virginia. The flycatcher was initially dependently identified the bird as an perchedlow in a silver maple tree (Acer Ash-throated Flycatcher. Reports of HEASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER IS saccharinurn L.) 12 m from a kitchen the sighting with substantiating notes an insectivorousspecies of the fam- window through which I was watching. from both observerswere subsequently ily Tyrannidaethat inhabitsthe temper- The bird then flew to within 2 m of the sent to the editor of the Raven and to the ate desert and scrub communities and window and perched on a chain link area compiler for American Birds. rangesinto the pine oak woodlandsof fence. My first impressionwas that the On Sunday, January 20, 1980, Ellen western North America. Its breeding bird resembled a Great Crested Fly- G' Fader of Arlington, Virginia, and I range extends from the southern tip of catcher (Myiarchus crinitus), the com- observed an Ash-throated Flycatcher the central plateau of Mexico (southern mon Myiarchus speciesin the East--a on Virginia Key, Dade County, Florida. San Luis Potosi and northern Guana- very late one--but the proportions of When first spotted, the bird was juato and Jalisco)north to Oregonand the bird appeareddifferent from those perched 2 m above the ground in a de- east to central Texas (Lanyon 1963) of the latter species. ciduous sapling. We were standing The 1957A.O. U. Check-listrecognizes The flycatcher was 15-18 cm in quietly in the shade 5 m away and were two races of the Ash-throated Fly- length, mostly brownish-gray, with two able to study the bird for 2 minutes, after catcher. The nominate form, M. c whitishwingbars. Both mandibleswere which it flew into the tree under which cinerascens (Lawrence), breeds from entirely dark to the base and similar in we were standing, where it afforded us southwestern Oregon and eastern size. The eyes appeared black. The somegood, but mainly only silhouetted, Washington, southern Idaho, south- crown'was ruffled and slightlydarker views. The flycatcher seen on Virginia western Wyoming, Colorado, New than the rest of the unmarked head, Key was identical in every respect to Mexico, and northern and central Texas nape, and back. The chin, throat, and the flycatcher seen in Haymarket. Un- southto southernBaja California, Guer- breast appeared to be a creamy white like the Haymarket bird, however, rero, and southwesternTamaulipas and color that blended gradually into pale which appearedto be quite solitary, the winters from northern Baja California, lemon on the belly. Many secondarie..s Virginia Key bird seemedto be loosely southeastern California, central Ari- were edgedwith white; the outer four or associatedwith a roving interspecific zona, and southernTamaulipas southto five were rich rufous. The tail appeared group of Yellow-rumped Warblers Guatemala and E1 Salvador, casually to solid brown above and rufous below; (Dendroica coronata), Palm Warblers Costa Rica and rarely southwestern the rufous was especially apparent (D. palmarum), and other species.The California (A.O.U. 1957). All of this when the tail was fanned. Characteris- sighting was immediately reported to range is occupied by M. cinerascens tics that did not conform to those of the the Tropical Audubon Society. Our ef- cinerascens,except that M. c. pertinax Great Crested Flycatcher were the forts to relocate the bird on Virginia (Baird) is resident in Baja California white chin, throat, and breast; the Key the followingweekend were unsucu south of latitude 29ø (Lanyon, 1963b) noticeably smaller, slimmer bill; the cessful.The sightingwas subsequently and on San Esteban Island, Sonora darker-brown tail; and the smaller size reported to the Florida regional com- (A.O.U., 1957). of the bird. piler for American Birds. Since 1911,when a specimenwas col- The flycatcher flew 8 times while As a result of these two sightings, I lected in Beltsville, Prince Georges underobservation and lande.dpreferen- became interested in determining the County, Maryland (Simon 1958), Ash- tially in small (less than 3 m tall) trees statusof the Ash-throatedFlycatcher in throated Flycatchers have been ob- within 70 m of the house. Its flight was the East. I report here an annotated list servedwith increasingfrequency east of low and direct. It habitually perched of sightings, seasonal and geographic the MississippiRiver, in a region that less than 2 m high and gleaned insects patterns of sightings, and characteris- lies outside of the breeding or previ- from the leafless branches rather than tics by which field observerscan distin- ously-known wintering range of either Volume 36, Number 3 241 race. In fact, the Ash-throated Fly- Shoals, September 17 (F•nch 1972) Ontarto catcher has been reported •n the East through September 20 (Silcock 1975), Seen at Point Pelee, November 24, only 12times before 1970and more than 1971, by O.H. Hewitt (Finch 1972); 1962 (Stirrett, 1973; James et al. 1976) 20 times sincethen. All collected speci- seen at Bar Harbor, Hancock Co., mens have been of the nominate race. November 21, 1975, by W.C. Russell Quebec Known records of the Ash-throated (Finch 1976). Seen at Franquelin October 10, 1977 Flycatcher east of the MississippiRiver Maryland by J.M. Belisle (David and Gossehn (excludingLouisiana, which appearsto 1978).This sightingconstitutes the only mark the easternlimit of its regular win- Collected at Beltsville, Prince report from Canada east of Ontario tering range and which I will discuss Georges Co., November 25, 1911, by later) are as follows: E.B. Marshall, specimenwas identified Rhode Island years later by S. Amy and is now in the Collected on Block Island, Newport THE RECORDS U.S.N.M. bird collection (cited by Si- Co., September 15, 1960 by J. Bmrd, mon 1958; original report was not pub- Alabama specimen is now 261402 in the M C Z lished; collected at Monkton (immature Cambridge (Baird 1962); seen at Block Collected at Dauphin Island, Mobile male) November 26, 1957, initially seen Island September 25, 1976 by F P Co., November 2, 1958 (Williams 1959) November 22, specimen is now 465388 Frazier, Jr. (Finch 1977);photographed or November 3 (Silcock 1975), by L.E. in the U.S.N.M. collection (Simon at East Providence, ProvidenceCo, by Williams, Jr., specimenis now 4645.la 1958); seen at Emmitsburg, Frederick R. Bowen after initial discovery by H m the Florida St. Univ. Mus. collection Co., December 4, 1962 by J.W. Willoughby, present November 12 (Williams, 1959); seen at Bon Secour, Richards (Scott and Cutler 1963). through at least November 30, 1979 Baldwin Co., October: 24, 1964 by P.F. (fide D.L. Emerson, incorrectly re- Chandler (Imhof 1976); seen at Massachusetts ported in American Birds as seen at Dauphin Island October 7-8, 1965 by Photographed at Gloucester, Essex Acoaxet, Massachusetts (fide D L J L. Dom et al. (Ibid.); seen at Co., present from November 25 to De- Emerson). Dauphin Island May 3, 1968 by J.L. cember 3, 1972; initially discoveredby Dorn et al. (Ibid.); seen at Magnolia S. Harty and J. Twisdom at Eastern Virginia Springs, Baldwin Co., September 17, Point (Finch 1973); seen at Orleans, Seen at Little Creek, Virginia Beach- 1971 by P.F. Chandler (Ibid.); and seen Barnstable Co., November 22, 1975 Norfolk, December 26, 1957 by F C at Fort Morgan October 27, 1974 by (Finch 1976); seen at Rowley, Essex Richardsonand W.F. Rountrey (Potter T.A. Imhof et al. (Purrington 1975). Co., May 18-24, 1979 (Heil and Sty- 1958; Richardson 1958); seen at Ch•n- Florida meist 1980); seen at Cambridge, Mid- coteague N.W.R., Accomac Co, De- dlesex Co., December 1-9, 1979 (Vick- cember 13-14, 1969 by S. Step•noff Collected at Town Point on the south ery 1980); seen at Wellesley, Norfolk (Stepinoff 1970); photographed at s•deof PensacolaBay oppositethe city Co., during the week of November 10, Cheriton, Northampton Co., Decem- of Pensacola, Escambia Co., Decem- 1980 (fide D.L. Emerson). ber 27-30, 1978, Nat'l Photoduphcate ber 24, 1944, after being found earlier File No. 454-1C (Scott 1979); seen at by E.J. Koestner et al. (Weston 1946); New York Haymarket, Prince William Co, De- seen at Fair Point near Pensacola Octo- cember 9, 1979 by W.L. Murphy and ber 21, 1956by F.M. Weston within 0.4 Photographed at Larchmont, West- D. Smith; and photographedat K•p- km of the site of the first Florida rec- chester Co., present from November topeke, Northampton Co., December ord, specimenis now in the collection 22 to 24, 1970, initially discoveredby S. 30-31, 1979 by M. Tove, seen by many of L.E. Pate of Pensacola (Weston Bahrt, photograph on file with the observers (Armistead 1980). 1957); seen near Gulf Breeze, Santa A.M.N.H. (Boyajian 1971; Bull 1974); Rosa Co., October 20, 1975 (Purring- collected at Ridge, Suffolk Co., De- ton, 1976); seen on Virginia Key near cember 5, 1973, by W.E. Lanyon, adult PATTERNS OF DISTRIBUTION Mmmi Beach, Dade Co., January 20, female initially discovered by J. Rus- 1980 by W.L Murphy and E.G. Fader. cica and G. Raynor December 1, mist- Seasonal netted December 5, placed in an aviary Illinois but subsequently died; specimen is now 819464 in A.M.N.H.
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