Dusky-capped Flycatchers (Myiarchus tuberculifer) are common here in southeastern Arizona in oak-pine woodlands and riparian canyons in the mountains from April until sometime in September. Here in the United States, Dusky-capped Flycatchers are usually only found in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. I observed this Dusky-capped Flycatcher in Madera Canyon, Arizona in May of 2007.

Dusky-capped Flycatchers are brownish olive above and yellow below with a solid black bill, a light gray breast and throat, reddish brown wings, and a brown tail. The sexes look identical. Dusky-capped Flycatchers look very similar to two other Myiarchus species found here, the Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) and the Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus), but Dusky-capped Flycatchers can be identified by their relatively smaller size, lack of light brown wing bars, and by their distinctive call, a mournful, descending "peeeu".

Fortunately, Myiarchus flycatchers are quite vocal and so identifying them by voice is not too difficult. This particular Dusky-capped Flycatcher's repeated plaintive "peeeu" calls quickly revealed its true identity. None of our other Myiarchus flycatchers here have a call similar to this.