Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)

Abundance:  Very Uncommon (27 records from 12 counties, 4 Kentucky and 8 Tennessee).

Status: Transient during spring (14 records) and fall (13 records); designated as in need of management by the Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage (2004); photographs (see links below).

Regional High Count: 4 (24 May 1986; southern Overton County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Damien J. Simbeck; Stedman 1986c).

Information on Records: 

3 May 1969 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Mary C. Wood; Parmer 1969c).

25 May 1985 (1) Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, David F. Vogt, Ruth V. McMillan unpubl. data).

24 May 1986 (4) southern Overton County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Damien J. Simbeck; Stedman 1986c).

24 May 1990 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

28 August 1992 (1) Shady Lane, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

5 May 1994 (1) on road to lower King cemetery near Beech Grove, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, McCreary County, Kentucky (Stephen J. Stedman, Robert G. Emmott; Stamm 1994a; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

28 April 1994 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Julie M. Pharr; Witt 1994c).

4 June 1998 (1) near intersection Rt. 297 and West Bandy Rd., Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Knight 1998c; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

7 May 1999 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman et al.; Fekel 1999c).

21 May 2000 (1) Flattop Mountain, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (Debbie Shannon, Roi Shannon; Knight 2000c).

12 May 2001 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Benton Basham; Hoff 2001a), a Spring Bird Count record.

10 September 2001 (1) Clifty Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

11 May 2002 (1) Shady Lane, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Hoff 2002c), a Spring Bird Count record.

6 September 2003 (1) Spaw Cemetery Rd. near the intersection with Rt. 1676, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004a).

29 September 2003 (1) Mark near Shopville, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Connie S. Neeley unpubl. data), a YardWatch record.

12 May 2004 (1) Blue John area, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004c), photo.

23-27 August 2004 (1) Hurricane Ridge Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Tommy L. Curtis photo, Virginia Curtis, Carol D. Williams; Casteel 2005a), photo (27 August 2004, Tommy L. Curtis), a YardWatch record.

10 September 2005 (1) Casey Cove Campground, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Michael J. Hawkins, Judy C. Fuson unpubl. data).

23 September 2005 (1) Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Russell County, Kentucky (Lou Anne Barrigger fide Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr.; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

26 May 2006 (2) Dry Creek Unit, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo, Robert Dever unpubl. data).

16 September 2006 (1) Burgess Falls State Natural Area, Putnam County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs documentation form and unpubl. data).

15 May 2007 (1) County House Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Judy C. Fuson unpubl. data).

15 September 2007 (1) The Lane Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee (Winston A. Walden, Tom Saya unpubl. data), a Fall Bird Count record.

17 September 2008 (1) Barren River State Resort Park, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

2 September 2009 (1) Natural Arch, Daniel Boone National Forest, McCreary County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

7 September 2009 (1) Dale Hollow Dam nature trail, Clay County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand, Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

12 September 2009 (1) Leffle Webb Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand photo and unpubl. data).

Regional Extreme Dates: 

    Spring: 28 April 1994 (1; Putnam County, Tennessee; Julie M. Pharr; Witt 1994c)-4 June 1998 (1; Scott County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

    Fall: 23 August 2004 (1; DeKalb County, Tennessee; Tommy L. Curtis photo, Virginia Curtis, Carol D. Williams)-29 September 2003 (1; Pulaski County, Kentucky; Connie S. Neeley unpubl. data).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: One registration during 2003 (of 125 possible) and one during 2004 (of 206 possible), the former occurring in late September and the latter during late August (see above); these registrations accurately indicate the overall scarcity of this flycatcher but probably somewhat overstate its abundance during fall and understate its abundance during spring.

Habitat: Usually mature forest of various types with dead snags in the tops of some trees, but during migration other habitats that provide exposed perches.

Remarks: Typically, a late spring and an early fall migrant.  Declining in numbers throughout the eastern breeding range, especially in the southern Appalachians, where much reduced or now absent.

    The first sighting in DeKalb County, Tennessee, is the only Regional sighting that involved a duration of more than one day; interestingly, this sighting is also the earliest during fall for the Region, suggesting that earlier migrating fall birds may be more prone to a longer stay at a site than later migrating birds.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited