The Hammond's flycatcher spends much of its time in tall conifer canopies, where its subdued plumage and quiet, monotonous chant let it be easily overlooked. A diligent observer may be able to locate this aerial insectivore on a dead limb just beneath the live crowns of mature conifers from which it sallies into a canopy gap to capture insect prey on the wing.

It is a common summer resident of montane coniferous forests through the state, on both sides of the Cascades.

Hear the song of the Hammond's flycatcher

Photo by Keith Williams, Flickr