Species

Olive-sided flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

A big-headed flycatcher of northern forests that calls 'quick, three beers!' from dead treetops on migration.

Photo Jonathan Eisen (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 18 to 20 cm long
Weight: About 28 to 36 g
Habitat: Forest edges with dead trees; on migration, treetops anywhere
Diet: Flying insects, especially bees and wasps
In Georgia: An uncommon migrant, May and August to September
Voice: A whistled "quick-THREE-BEERS" and "pip-pip-pip"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large head; dark sides with a white stripe down the centre of the breast, like an unbuttoned vest; often perches on the very top of dead trees
Told apart from: Eastern wood-pewee, which is smaller with a paler breast
Where to look: The tops of dead trees during migration

Behaviour

Olive-sided flycatchers perch on the highest dead branches and fly out to catch bees, wasps and other flying insects, returning to the same perch.

Why they matter

Olive-sided flycatchers make one of the longest migrations of any North American flycatcher, to the Andes of South America, and have declined steeply. They depend on forest openings with dead trees, often created by fire.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup of twigs and lichen high in a conifer
Eggs — Usually three
Incubation — About 15 to 16 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 15 to 19 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Dead treetops left standing are perches for migrants.

Misconceptions

It is asking for beer. The phrase is just a way to remember its song.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In South America	In South America	In South America	Migrating north	Migrants in Georgia	Nesting in northern forests	Nesting	Migrating south	Migrants in Georgia	In South America	In South America	In South America

Where it lives

Recorded in 83 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

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