Ashy flycatcher

The ashy flycatcher, blue-grey flycatcher[2] or ashy alseonax (Muscicapa caerulescens) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the drier areas of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. It inhabits subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and savanna.[3] The species does not display sexual dimorphism, with both sexes being grey in colour with pale grey or white underparts. Different subspecies show minute differences in appearance.

Ashy flycatcher
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Muscicapa
Species:
M. caerulescens
Binomial name
Muscicapa caerulescens
(Hartlaub, 1865)
Synonyms
  • Fraseria caerulescens

The species has a disputed generic placement, with different authorities variously putting it in Muscicapa, Fraseria, and other genera. There are six recognised subspecies.

The species has a small, thin, and pointed beak adapted for eating insects. Its diet is mostly insectivorous, although it also eats berries and small geckoes. The birds are very active, foraging singly, in groups, or in mixed-species flocks. They forage in the upper levels of the canopy, with prey being caught with small circular flights, from foliage, and being gleaned from the bark and leaves. The species breeds in solitary pairs, with each pair maintaining a territory of 1-4 ha and raising young alone. A variety of vocalisations is used by the species, and there is very little geographical variation in calls.

Taxonomy and Systematics

The generic placement of the species is disputed. The IOU places it in the genus Muscicapa, although the Clements Checklist places it in Fraseria, along with the Tessmann's flycatcher. Other authorities have suggested placing this clade in other genera.[4]

The specific epithet of the species refers to its colour, meaning dark blue or cerulean in Latin.[5]

Subspecies

There are six recognised subspecies:

  • M. c. caerulescens (Hartlaub, 1865) — The nominate form. Found in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland.
  • M. c. brevicauda (Ogilvie-Grant, 1907) — Found from northern Benin and southern Nigeria to South Sudan, western Kenya, southern DR Congo and northwestern Angola. It is generally darker than the nominate and has slate-grey upperparts with grey underparts.
  • M. c. nigrorum (Collin & Hartert, 1927) — Found from Guinea to Togo. It is paler than brevicauda with mouse-grey and more uniformly grey underparts.
  • M. c. cinereola (Hartlaub & Finsch, 1870) — Found in Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.
  • M. c. vulturna (Clancey, 1957) — Found from Malawi and Mozambique to northern South Africa and Swaziland. It is paler than the nominate, with the throat and belly being purer white.
  • M. c. impavida (Clancey, 1957) – Found from Angola and Namibia to northern Tanzania and Zimbabwe.[6] It is even paler than vulturna, with the upperparts being ashier and less blue in color and the underparts being more uniformly white.[4]

Description

Adults of the nominate are plain grey in colour overall, with a solidly grey tail. The upperparts are darker and the underpart are paler. They have thin dark loral lines bordered above by a supraloral white line.[7]

Vocalisations

The ashy flycatcher is a widespread species, but very little variation in vocalisations has been observed through its range. It has a varied repertoire of call types and many different calls.[8]

The dawn song consists of 5-7 notes that typically start at a high pitch before going down and then up again. Phrases typically repeat every 3-5 phrases. It is given at dawn in complete darkness for at least 30 minutes from a high canopy level on a fixed perch. After sunrise, birds switch from the dawn song to the day song, which consists of 3‒8 short staccato notes. Other songs include the warbling song.[8]

Ashy flycatchers also have a variety of calls, including short peeps and chirps, a high-pitched wheeze, and other notes. A piercing, slightly descending hiss is used as an alarm, often uttered to warn of approaching predators. It is very similar to the alarm calls of other species of birds and is an interspecific call. A distress call, consisting of a shrill, high-pitched, and buzzing note, is given when birds are in panic or stressed. Males also snap wings and bill when observers approach their offspring. Chicks give a high-pitched begging call, which has also been described as a "shrill, short, rattling squeak".[8]

Behaviour and Ecology

It is a restless and active bird that is constantly moving and shifting.[9] It has been observed sunbathing on the ground.[10]

An ashy flycatcher feeding on larva at Mapungubwe National Park in Limpopo, South Africa.

Diet

The ashy flycatcher forages singly, in pairs, or in groups of up to seven individuals. It is also known to sometimes join mixed-species flocks while foraging.[10][11]

Foraging is typically done in the upper levels of vegetation, between the treetops and the undercanopy. Ashy flycatchers typically sit upright on exposed perches. Food is caught by making short circular flights to catch flying insects or hovering to catch prey in foliage. It also gleans insects from foliage and bark. [9]

Its diet consists of mostly insects, mainly beetles, flies, grasshoppers, adult and larval moths and butterflies, winged ants, and termites. Prey tends to be 5-35 mm in size, with the majority being between 15-20 mm in size. They have also been observed eating small fruit and berries, and rarely, geckos up to 5 cm in length.[9]

Breeding

The birds are monogamous. Pairs are solitary and territorial, maintaining territories of up to 20 ha, although breeding pairs keep territories of only 1-4 ha.[10] They are known to inhabit old weaver bird nests.[12] Eggs are laid in clutches of 2-3, with the colour being described as "glossy; creamy white to light buff, finely speckled yellowish brown or reddish." The incubation period is 14 days.[13]

Distribution and Habitat

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, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[14]

The ashy flycatcher inhabits a variety of forest and woodland. It occurs near forest edges and enters forest only if it has been logged or opened by roads. It is also known to inhabit open gallery forest, secondary growth, riverine strips, and some plantations. It occurs in peanut and cassava fields with scattered tall trees and borders of shrubs or bushes, along with miombo woodland, dense woodland thickets, open riverine woodland, and thornveld and thorn-scrub. It inhabits altitudes of up to 1,500 m, although it is known to occur at altitudes of up to 1,800 m in eastern Africa.[15]

Conservation

It is listed as least concern. It has a large range, a stable population, is common to uncommon throughout its range, and occurs in a number of protected areas.[16]

Mozambique

The population in Mozambique is estimated to number over 5,000 individuals.[17]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Muscicapa caerulescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-04-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  4. "Systematics - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  5. James, Jobling (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List. International Ornithological Congress. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  7. "Appearance - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  8. "Sounds and Vocal Behavior - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  9. "Diet and Foraging - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  10. "Behavior - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  11. Gordon, Alasdair IV; Harrison, Nancy M. (2010-11-11). "Observations of mixed-species bird flocks at Kichwa Tembo Camp, Kenya" (PDF). Ostrich. 81 (3): 259–264. doi:10.2989/00306525.2010.519514. ISSN 0030-6525. S2CID 85070277.
  12. Oschadleus, H. Dieter (2018-04-03). "Birds adopting weaver nests for breeding in Africa". Ostrich. 89 (2): 131–138. doi:10.2989/00306525.2017.1411403. ISSN 0030-6525. S2CID 90663983.
  13. "Breeding - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  14. "Distribution - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  15. "Habitat - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  16. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (2016-10-01). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Fraseria caerulescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  17. "Demography and Populations - Ashy Flycatcher - Fraseria caerulescens - Birds of the World". birdsoftheworld.org. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
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