Southwestern Willow Flycatcher

The Water Authority signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to fund the San Bernardino County Museum surveys for the federally-endangered southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) along the lower Virgin and Muddy Rivers and Lake Mead.

The southwestern willow flycatcher is a neotropical migrant which depends upon riparian forests in the southwest to raise its young.

Because the flycatcher's habitat is tied to riparian or riverine corridors, the Water Authority is interested in how water resource management will relate to this endangered species.

Dense thickets of willow 10 to 20 feet tall and surrounded by water are ideal nesting sites, but this bird has been found to nest in less suitable sites which are primarily composed of the non-native tamarisk.

Through funding these surveys, the Water Authority hopes to locate breeding pairs, gather demographic information and characterize occupied habitat.

Information gained from this research will be added to the growing body of information concerning the southwestern willow flycatcher and will help various local, state and federal agencies characterize the overall health of this species so that sound resource management decisions can be made.

The Water Authority also has conducted annual flycatcher surveys in the Las Vegas Wash since 1999 and participates in the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Recovery Team, which provides recommendations on recovery strategies and actions for the bird.