436 LAND BIRDS 



days, and the young remain in the nest two weeks 

 longer, and in the same tree nearly a week after leaving 

 the nursery. They are faithfully fed by both parents 

 and taught to seize their food in the air, as do all fly- 

 catchers; and before the time comes when they must 

 forage for themselves, they have learned the lessons 

 necessary for their safety in the great forest. 



464. WESTERN FLYCATCHER. — Empidonax difficilis. 

 Family : The Flycatchers. 



Length: 5.50-6.00. 



Adults: Upper part grayish olive (more brownish in winter) ; wing-bars 

 buffy ; under parts yellowish, becoming bright sulphur-yellow on 

 belly and under tail-coverts, and shaded with grayish brown across 

 the breast. 



Young : Similar, but upper parts browner, with wing-bars rusty buff, the 

 sulphur-yellow of belly replaced by dull white. 



Geographical Distribution : Western United States, north to Alaska ; 

 south in winter to Mexico ; east to the east slope of the Rockies ; west 

 to the Pacific. 



California Breeding Range: In Transition and upper Sonoran zones 

 throughout the State. 



Breeding Season : May 1 to July 1 5. 



Nest : In trees, under banks, in natural cavities, or about buildings, usu- 

 ally near water ; made of rootlets, leaves, and moss ; lined with moss 

 and feathers. 



Eggs: 3 or 4 ; white, marked with brown and pale salmon. Size 0.69 

 ' X 0.51. . 



The breeding range of the Western Yellow-bellied 

 Flycatcher — known also as the Baird Flycatcher, or 

 simply Western Flycatcher — extends through a wide 

 latitude, from Alaska to Lower California. Eastward, 

 it is found through the interior and southwest to the 

 Rockies, but it is most common west of the Sierra 



