Acadian Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher has increased: up 35% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Acadian Flycatcher
The Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) is a North American member of the Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the aerial insectivores.
- Size
- 4.5–9 in long (12–23 cm) — a small to medium flycatcher (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open airspace over fields, water and towns; nests in cavities, earthen banks or on structures.
- Diet
- Flying insects caught on the wing.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,564 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 32 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Tyrannidae · Aerial insectivores
Notable Acadian Flycatcher Trends
No notable trend signals for Acadian Flycatcher. See the full index history below.
Acadian Flycatcher Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Acadian Flycatcher is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 1.3 (95% range 1.1–1.6). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±8.7%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| 2026 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| 2027 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| 2028 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| 2029 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
Where the Acadian Flycatcher Is Detected
BBS routes recording Acadian Flycatcher, sized by most recent count.
Acadian Flycatcher Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +128% | 1968 | 99 |
| Arkansas | +41% | 1969 | 55 |
| Connecticut | +121% | 1983 | 12 |
| Delaware | +208% | 1968 | 16 |
| Florida | -22% | 1968 | 47 |
| Georgia | +37% | 1968 | 101 |
| Illinois | +447% | 1968 | 62 |
| Indiana | +113% | 1968 | 57 |
| Iowa | +23% | 1970 | 7 |
| Kansas | +162% | 1971 | 13 |
| Kentucky | +78% | 1968 | 62 |
| Louisiana | +353% | 1969 | 76 |
| Maryland | +181% | 1968 | 76 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Michigan | +406% | 1969 | 36 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Mississippi | 19× | 1968 | 64 |
| Missouri | 12× | 1971 | 73 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Jersey | +459% | 1969 | 27 |
| New York | +134% | 1978 | 22 |
| North Carolina | +122% | 1968 | 109 |
| Ohio | +328% | 1968 | 74 |
| Oklahoma | +101% | 1969 | 27 |
| Pennsylvania | +257% | 1968 | 112 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Carolina | -4% | 1968 | 51 |
| Tennessee | +213% | 1968 | 53 |
| Texas | -26% | 1969 | 57 |
| Virginia | +71% | 1968 | 88 |
| West Virginia | -7% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +43% | 1974 | 16 |
Acadian Flycatcher Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +176% | 1968 | 35 |
| Edwards Plateau | -32% | 1973 | 7 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +14% | 1970 | 27 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +149% | 1968 | 151 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +259% | 1969 | 67 |
| Central Hardwoods | +157% | 1968 | 157 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +9% | 1969 | 106 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +300% | 1969 | 52 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +161% | 1968 | 317 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +84% | 1968 | 349 |
| Piedmont | +86% | 1968 | 155 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +146% | 1968 | 108 |
| Peninsular Florida | -83% | 1968 | 12 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -23% | 1982 | 13 |
Acadian Flycatcher Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 35% since 1968. Aerial insectivores have fallen sharply across the continent, a decline widely linked to dwindling insect prey.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.