Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Black banded flycatcher

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Order
  
Passeriformes

Genus
  
Ficedula

Higher classification
  
Ficedula

Phylum
  
Chordata

Family
  
Muscicapidae

Scientific name
  
Ficedula tinsis

Rank
  
Species

Similar
  
Cinnamon‑chested flycatcher, Rufous‑throated flycatcher, Palawan flycatcher, Cryptic flycatcher, Little slaty flycatcher

The black-banded flycatcher (Ficedula timorensis), also known as the Timor flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. In the past the species was considered to be related to the Australasian robins but this was as the result of convergent evolution. The species is endemic to the island of Timor in the Lesser Sundas. The black-banded flycatcher is small with a broad bill and distinctive plumage. The species has a white belly, lower rump and throat with a thin black band across the chest. The tail, neck and wings are black and the back, upper wing and shoulders rich chestnut. The plumage of the head is sexually dichromatic, with the head being black in the males and dark grey in the females. The eye and bill is black and the feet and legs are yellow. The calls consist of soft whistles, some of which sound similar to the Timor stubtail.

The black-banded flycatcher is an uncommon species that is difficult to see and very little is known about its biology. The natural habitat of the species is lowland monsoon forests and hill forests up to 1200 m. Nothing is known about its breeding behaviour, the only observations of this are adults feeding recently fledged chicks in December. It feeds singly or in pairs on invertebrates, taking its prey mostly by gleaning with a few sallying flights to snatch aerial prey. The species is currently listed as near threatened. It is threatened by habitat loss.

References

Black-banded flycatcher Wikipedia