Order Passeriformes Higher classification Sigelus | Phylum Chordata Family Muscicapidae Scientific name Sigelus silens Rank Species | |
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Similar Southern fiscal, Southern boubou, African dusky flycatcher, Cape robin‑chat, Southern black flycatcher | ||
Birding in the eastern cape south africa fiscal flycatcher port alfred
The fiscal flycatcher (Melaenornis silens) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is a resident breeder in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland, and a vagrant to Namibia.
Contents
- Birding in the eastern cape south africa fiscal flycatcher port alfred
- Taxonomy
- Description
- Behaviour
- References
This species is found in subtropical open woodland, dry savanna, shrubland and suburban gardens.
Taxonomy
The fiscal flycatcher was previously the only member of the genus Sigelus but was moved to Melaenornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.
Description
This black and white bird gets its name from its resemblance to the northern fiscal, a shrike.
The fiscal flycatcher is 17–20 cm in length. The adult male is black above and white below with white wing patches and white sides to the tail. The female is brown, not black, above. The juvenile is like the female but duller and with brown spots and scalloping above and below.
The song is a weak chittering, and the alarm call is tssisk.
The male can be confused with the northern fiscal, but the shrike has a heavy hooked bill, a white patch on the shoulder rather than the lower wing, and has no white on its longer tail.
The fiscal flycatcher is larger than the male collared flycatcher, which has a white collar and lacks white wing panels.
Behaviour
The fiscal flycatcher builds an open cup nest from thin stems and other plant material and lined with plant down. It is placed in a dense bush.
The fiscal flycatcher feeds on insects, often taken in flight.