Conservation

The Galapagos Flycatcher is presently listed by IUCN as an LC (“Least Concern”) species. The bird seems to be reasonably abundant on most islands and anywhere that its habitat occurs.

Almost all of the flycatcher's habitat is protected lands incorporated into Galapagos National Park, with only highland areas where the species appears to be naturally less common not included in the park. Therefore, it seems that habitat loss is unlikely to be a significant threat to the species. The species's propensity for nesting in cavities, and especially in cavities in cacti or in power-line poles probably protect its nests somewhat from predation by the introduced rats and cats. The most serious threat to the flycatcher may be from introduced parasites or diseases. Currently, the most likely threat is from the introduced botfly Philornis downsi, which causes significant mortality, morbidity, and malformation in nestlings of other species, such as the Darwin's finches (Dudaniec et al. 2006).

Because most of the flycatcher's habitat is protected, it seems likely that human effects on the species would most likely come through depredation or nest predation by introduced rats and cats, or through losses to parasitism or diseases.

Galapagos Flycatcher may have been benefited by human introduction of larger ornamental and fruit trees, which may develop nest cavities that native trees (such as palo santo, a tree of short stature and small diameter) normally do not, and of artificial nesting sites such as the hollows of concrete power-line poles. The increased number of nest sites may have increased the opportunities of the flycatchers to breed.