Pale Flycatcher

Agricola pallidus

Fairly large, long-tailed, very plain flycatcher. Note the grayish underparts and unstreaked crown. Found in moist savanna and broadleaved woodland, including miombo. Sits in the midstory for long periods, occasionally flying out to grab an insect on the wing or on the ground. Call is a dry “cheeyp”, and song is a quick, scrambled series of similar notes. Unlike Marico Flycatcher, has dusky underparts, and unlike Grayish Flycatcher, has an unstreaked crown.

Taxonomy

The pale flycatcher was previously placed in the genus Bradornis but was moved to Melaenornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010. It was subsequently moved to the genus Agricola based on a study published in 2023.

Scientific name
Agricola pallidus
Authority
(Müller, JW, 1851)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Acrocephalidae
Genus
Agricola

Range and habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Russet Sparrow

Russet Sparrow

Passer cinnamomeus

Well-attired small songbird typically associated with mid- to high-elevation farms, fields, and open forests throughout its range. Found in less intensively developed areas than House and Eurasian Tree Sparrows, sticking to villages and pastures and staying away from large city centers. Male has bright chestnut cap and back, whitish cheek, narrow black throat, and pale gray belly. Female brownish with broad streaks above, pale below, with white wingbars and broad tan supercilium.

Pygmy Palm Swift

Pygmy Palm Swift

Tachornis furcata

A tiny dark swift with a long, slender, pointed tail. Restricted to the Maracaibo basin of Venezuela, barely slipping over the border into Colombia in Norte de Santander. In flight note the dark body with pale gray throat and belly. Similar to Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, but Pygmy Swift is much smaller and has darker underparts. Usually in groups flying in circles at low levels close to grasslands, open areas, towns, always near palm trees.

Rufous-headed Ground-Roller

Rufous-headed Ground-Roller

Atelornis crossleyi

Chunky, long-legged, richly colored bird. White shoulder marks are conspicuous in flight. Elusive and shy; unlikely to be seen by those not searching for it. Found in eastern rainforest, at upper and middle elevations. Feeds in the understory, usually in thick areas, often with bamboo. Avoids disturbance by fleeing on the ground or making short flights. Song is a quick hollow “kwowp” note that is repeated slowly, delivered from a low perch, often a mossy log. Lacks the intricate scaly marks of Scaly Ground-Roller and the pale underparts and complex head pattern of Pitta-like Ground-Roller. 

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