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Share your observations of plants or non-game animals with the Natural Heritage Inventory
Help care for rare plants and animals by ordering an Endangered Resources plate.
- Contact information
- For information on Wisconsin's rare vertebrate animals, contact:
- Rich Staffen
Conservation Biologist
608-266-4340 - For information on Wisconsin's rare invertebrates, contact:
- Jay Watson
Conservation Biologist
920-662-5161
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
Photo © Dennis Malueg
Overview
Overview
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), a Special Concern species in Wisconsin, is found in many types of deciduous and mixed forests and less commonly in coniferous forest. This species historically bred throughout Wisconsin, however abundance is currently greater in the northern part of the state as large blocks of unfragmented deciduous forest cover have become uncommon in the south. The recommended avoidance period is May 15 - August 15.
State status
Status and Natural Heritage Inventory documented occurrences in Wisconsin
The table below provides information about the protected status - both state and federal - and the rank (S and G Ranks) for Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus). See the Working List Key for more information about abbreviations. Counties shaded blue have documented occurrences for this species in the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory database. The map is provided as a general reference of where occurrences of this species meet NHI data standards and is not meant as a comprehensive map of all observations.
Note: Species recently added to the NHI Working List may temporarily have blank occurrence maps.
| Summary Information | |
|---|---|
| State Status | SC/M |
| Federal Status in Wisconsin | none |
| State Rank | S3B |
| Global Rank | G5 |
| Tracked by NHI | Y |
| WWAP | SGCN |
Species guidance
A guidance document is not available at this time. However, the bird calendar [PDF] contains dates for avoiding impacts to this and other rare Wisconsin birds when planning management activities.
Other resources
Links to additional Least Flycatcher information
Other links related to birds
Photos/Video
Photos
Click to view a larger version. Please considering donating a photo to the Natural Heritage Conservation Program for educational uses. Photo use
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Least Flycatcher
Photo © Brian Collins.
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Photo © Dennis Malueg.
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Photo © Dennis Malueg.
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Photo © Dennis Malueg.
Wildlife Action Plan
Natural community (habitat) associations
The table below lists the natural communities that are associated with Least Flycatcher. Only natural communities for which Least Flycatcher is "high" (score=3) or "moderate" (score=2) associated are shown. See the key to association scores for complete definitions. Please see the Wildlife Action Plan to learn how this information was developed.
Ecological landscape associations
The table below lists the ecological landscape association scores for Least Flycatcher. The scores correspond to the map (3=High, 2=Moderate, 1=Low, 0=None). For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.
Landscape-Community combinations of highest ecological priority*
Ecological priorities are the combinations of natural communities and ecological landscapes that provide Wisconsin's best opportunities to conserve important habitats for a given Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The 10 highest scoring combinations are considered ecological priorities and are listed below. More than 10 combinations are listed if multiple combinations tied for 10th place. For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.
* Ecological priority score is a relative measure that is not meant for comparison between species. This score does not consider socio-economical factors that may dictate protection and/or management priorities differently than those determined solely by ecological analysis. Further, a low ecological priority score does not imply that management or preservation should not occur on a site if there are important reasons for doing so locally.
Issues/threats and conservation actions
Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.
