The genus ''Empidonax'' is a group of small insect-eating

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s in the

tyrant flycatcher The tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae) comprise a family of passerine birds which is found virtually throughout North and South America. It is the world's largest family of birds, with more than 400 species, and is the most diverse avian family i ...

family, the Tyrannidae. The genus name ''Empidonax'' is from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''empis'', "

gnat GNAT is a free-software compiler for the Ada programming language which forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). It supports all versions of the language, i.e. Ada 2012, Ada 2005, Ada 95 and Ada 83. Originally its ...

", and ''anax'', "master". Most of these birds are very similar in

plumage Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...

: olive on the upper parts with light underparts, eye rings and wing bars. In the

nesting season Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightwei ...

they may be distinguished by range,

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

and call; in other situations, particularly on

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

and in winter, it may not be possible to be sure of specific identification. ''Empidonax'' flycatchers often flick their wings and tails rapidly.

Euler's flycatcher Euler's flycatcher (''Lathrotriccus euleri'') is a small passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found on Trinidad and in every mainland South American country except Chile.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bona ...

, ''Lathrotriccus euleri'' and

gray-breasted flycatcher The grey-breasted flycatcher (''Lathrotriccus griseipectus'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Taxonomy and systematics The grey-breasted flycatcher was originally descri ...

, ''Lathrotriccus griseipectus'' were formerly placed in ''Empidonax'', but differ anatomically and biochemically and are now placed in the genus ''

Lathrotriccus ''Lathrotriccus'' is a small genus of passerine birds in the tyrant flycatcher family. They breed in tropical South America, including, for one species, the islands of Trinidad and formerly also Grenada. They closely resembles the ''Empidonax' ...

''.

Species

The genus contains 14 species:

References

External links

Generic Study of Euler's Flycatcher
{{Authority control Bird genera Birds of North America Taxa named by Jean Cabanis