Muscicapa
Encyclopedia
Muscicapa is a genus
of passerine
birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher
family
Muscicapidae, and therein to the typical flycatchers of subfamily Muscicapinae. They are widespread across Europe
, Africa
and Asia
with most species occurring in forest
and woodland
habitats. Several species are migratory, moving south from Europe and northern Asia for the winter.
They are small birds, 9 to 15 centimetres in length. They have a large head, short tail and a flattened bill
, broader at the base. Their plumage
is mostly drab brown or grey and rather plain. Young birds tend to be more spotted or mottled.
Muscicapa flycatchers typically feed on flying insect
s which are caught by sallying out
from an exposed perch. The nest
is usually cup-shaped and built on a tree branch but some African species nest in tree holes.
of Muscicapa flycatchers are recognized; one putative undescribed species is also known to exist on Sulawesi
(Indonesia
):
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Muscicapidae, and therein to the typical flycatchers of subfamily Muscicapinae. They are widespread across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
with most species occurring in forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
habitats. Several species are migratory, moving south from Europe and northern Asia for the winter.
They are small birds, 9 to 15 centimetres in length. They have a large head, short tail and a flattened bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, broader at the base. Their plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is mostly drab brown or grey and rather plain. Young birds tend to be more spotted or mottled.
Muscicapa flycatchers typically feed on flying insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s which are caught by sallying out
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch...
from an exposed perch. The nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
is usually cup-shaped and built on a tree branch but some African species nest in tree holes.
Species
23 to 25 different named speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Muscicapa flycatchers are recognized; one putative undescribed species is also known to exist on Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
(Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
):
- Spotted FlycatcherSpotted FlycatcherThe Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range....
, Muscicapa striata - Gambaga FlycatcherGambaga FlycatcherThe Gambaga Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda,...
, Muscicapa gambagae - Grey-streaked FlycatcherGrey-streaked FlycatcherThe Grey-streaked Flycatcher or Grey-spotted Flycatcher is a small passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the genus Muscicapa in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae....
or Grey-spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa griseisticta - Dark-sided FlycatcherDark-sided FlycatcherThe Dark-sided Flycatcher is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Muscicapa in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a wide distribution in Asia with northern birds migrating south for the winter. It is also known as the Siberian Flycatcher or Sooty Flycatcher, the latter...
or Siberian Flycatcher, Muscicapa sibirica - Asian Brown FlycatcherAsian Brown FlycatcherThe Asian Brown Flycatcher, Muscicapa dauurica, is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It includes the Brown-streaked Flycatcher, which is sometimes considered a distinct species Muscicapa williamsoni....
, Muscicapa dauurica- Brown-streaked Flycatcher, Muscicapa (dauurica) williamsoni
- Ashy-breasted FlycatcherAshy-breasted FlycatcherThe Ashy-breasted Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Muscicapa randi - Sumba Brown FlycatcherSumba Brown FlycatcherThe Sumba Brown Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Muscicapa segregata - Sulawesi Flycatcher, ?Muscicapa sp.
- Rusty-tailed FlycatcherRusty-tailed FlycatcherThe Rusty-tailed Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae....
, Muscicapa ruficauda - Brown-breasted FlycatcherBrown-breasted FlycatcherThe Brown-breasted Flycatcher or Layard's Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species breeds in north eastern India, central and Southern China and northern Burma and Thailand, and migrates to southern India and Sri Lanka.-Description:The Brown-breasted...
, Muscicapa muttui - Ferruginous FlycatcherFerruginous FlycatcherThe Ferruginous Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane...
, Muscicapa ferruginea - Ussher's FlycatcherUssher's FlycatcherThe Ussher's Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone...
, Muscicapa ussheri - Sooty FlycatcherSooty FlycatcherThe Sooty Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia...
, Muscicapa infuscata - Boehm's FlycatcherBoehm's FlycatcherThe Boehm's Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Muscicapa boehmi - Swamp FlycatcherSwamp FlycatcherThe Swamp Flycatcher or Swamp Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,...
, Muscicapa aquatica - Olivaceous FlycatcherOlivaceous FlycatcherThe Olivaceous Flycatcher or Olivaceous Alseonax is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.Its...
, Muscicapa olivascens - Chapin's FlycatcherChapin's FlycatcherChapin's Flycatcher is a bird species in the Old World flycatcher family . It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, and possibly Rwanda. The subspecies itombwensis may constitute a separate species.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests...
, Muscicapa lendu- Itombwe Flycatcher, Muscicapa (lendu) itombwensis
- African Dusky FlycatcherAfrican Dusky FlycatcherThe African Dusky Flycatcher or Dusky Alseonax, Muscicapa adusta, is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It is a resident breeder in Africa from Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Ethiopia south to South Africa...
, Muscicapa adusta - Little Grey FlycatcherLittle Grey FlycatcherThe Little Grey Flycatcher or Little Grey Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra...
, Muscicapa epulata - Yellow-footed FlycatcherYellow-footed FlycatcherThe Yellow-footed Flycatcher or Yellow-footed Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family....
, Muscicapa sethsmithi - Dusky-blue FlycatcherDusky-blue FlycatcherThe Dusky-blue Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and...
, Muscicapa comitata - Tessmann's FlycatcherTessmann's FlycatcherThe Tessmann's Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone....
, Muscicapa tessmanni - Cassin's FlycatcherCassin's FlycatcherCassin's Flycatcher or Cassin's Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda,...
, Muscicapa cassini - Ashy FlycatcherAshy FlycatcherThe Ashy Flycatcher or Ashy Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea,...
, Muscicapa caerulescens