Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Yesterday, 3 August 2012, I banded my first fall migrant--this Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. I knew that this flycatcher is an early migrant--it breeds in close-by northeastern Minnesota--and is a common breeding bird across Canadian forests. Most migrate from mid-August through early September. I was surprised to read in Janssen (Birds in Minnesota) that the earliest migration dates in southern Minnesota are throughout July. One reason for this early migration is that Yellow-bellied Flycatchers have one of the shortest breeding seasons of any neotropical migrant in the North Woods--often less than 70 days (Gross and Lowther 2011). This flycatcher winters in Central America. See also my previous posts concerning this species (8 September 2011 and 24 August 2010).