Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush

Stizorhina fraseri

Plain brownish, long-tailed flycatcher-like thrush. The tail is brown with rufous corners, and the wings show rufous patches in flight. Found in the understory and mid-story of humid forest. Perches upright and feeds like a flycatcher by snatching prey or catching it on the wing. The song is a rising series of several mournful whistles. Similar to Red-tailed Ant-Thrush, but smaller, with a more upright posture, and is not usually found on the ground.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Stizorhina fraseri
Authority
(Strickland, 1844)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Modulatricidae
Genus
Stizorhina

Range and habitat

It is found in easternmost West Africa (Nigeria), widely in Central Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon) and into East Africa (South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia). Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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