The Silver Bird | Gish Blog

The silverbird (Empidornis semipartitus) is an Old World flycatcher native to Eastern Africa, from Sudan to Tanzania. The species is the only member of the genus Empidornis, although it is sometimes placed in the genus Melaenornis.

The silverbird is a stunning flycatcher of open areas west of the Rift Valley, silvery grey above and tawny orange below. Juveniles have black-bordered tawny spots on upperparts, mottled buff and black on throats and breasts. The species is 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 22–23 g (0.78–0.81 oz).

The call of the silverbird uses short phrases which are slightly thrush-like. Sometimes the terminal note is higher and thinner, eee-sleeur-eeee or sweet siursur-eet-seet; also a longer eep-eep churEErip, eep-eep cherip chch chchch eee, embellished with chattering and seep notes.

Flycatchers:

Flycatcher, any of a number of perching birds (order Passeriformes) that dart out to capture insects on the wing, particularly members of the Old World songbird family Muscicapidae and of the New World family Tyrannidae, which consists of the tyrant flycatchers. Many taxonomists expand the family Muscicapidae to include the thrushes, warblers, and babblers, treating the Old World flycatchers in two or more subfamilies, Muscicapinae (typical flycatchers) and Monarchinae (monarch flycatchers) and, in some classification systems, Rhipidurinae (fantailed flycatchers).

The main muscicapine genus is Muscicapa (including Ficedula), and the commonest species, breeding in Europe and typical of the subfamily, is the spotted flycatcher (M. striata), a 14-centimetre (5 1/2-inch) streaked grayish-brown bird of open woodlands and gardens eastward through Asia. It has a thin sibilant call and has the habit of flicking its wings. The pied flycatcher (M. hypoleuca) breeds in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia; the male is black and white. Found in forests from India to the Philippines is Tickell’s blue flycatcher (M. tickelliae); it is blue above and red below—much like an American bluebird. A Japanese example of brightly coloured muscicapines is the narcissus flycatcher (M. narcissina), in which the male is black, yellow, and white; unlike most of the subfamily, it is a good singer. Widespread in Africa is the 10-cm (4-in.) dusky flycatcher (Alseonax adustus).

Among familial relatives, for monarch and paradise flycatchers, see monarch; for puffback flycatchers, see wattle-eye; and for fan-tailed flycatchers, see fantail.