Fairy Flycatcher
Stenostira scita
A small, neat, mostly blue-gray bird with a dark mask, tail, and wings, a bold white wing-stripe, and a rose-washed pale belly. Singles and pairs flit between thorn trees, bushes, thickets, and woody gullies in the Karoo. It forages actively for insects, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks, characteristically fanning its tail and drooping its wings. The Fairy Flycatcher is resident in the south of its range but is mostly a non-breeding winter visitor farther north. Its presence is often betrayed by a distinctive high-pitched phrase of short squeaky notes typically rendered as “tseee-tseeeit-zee-tzee-tzweeet” or similar.
Identification
The fairy flycatcher is 11–12 cm in length. The adult is pale grey above with a black mask through the eye and a white supercilium. The wings are black with a long white stripe, and the long black tail has white sides. The throat is white, the breast is pale grey, and the belly is white with a pinkish-grey wash to its centre. The sexes are alike, but the juvenile is browner than the adult. The eye is brown and the bill and legs are black.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Stenostira scita
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Stenostiridae
- Genus
- Stenostira
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The fairy flycatcher is monogamous unless its mate dies, when it will seek a new partner. It builds an open cup nest from thin stems and other plant material and lined with plant down. It is placed in the branches of a tree or shrub but well concealed. The female lays two or three green eggs.<p>This bird is usually seen alone, in pairs, or small flocks. It feeds on small insects and other invertebrates, foraging in the foliage like a warbler.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-tufted Sunbird
Nectarinia johnstoni
Large, long-billed dark sunbird with red shoulder tufts that are often hidden. Males have very long tail streamers and are dark iridescent green in breeding plumage, and gray-brown with some green patches in non-breeding plumage. Females are dark gray-brown. Found in grassland and heath habitats at very high elevations. Vocalizations include metallic calls and a quick, scrambled song. Similar to Malachite Sunbird, but generally found at higher elevations, and looks darker in all plumages; female lacks white edges to the tail.
Striated Starling
Aplonis striata
Small, dark starling with a bright red eye, short tail, and thick bill. Male glossy black with a faintly striated pattern. Female gray overall, slightly paler on the underparts. Found throughout New Caledonia and on the Loyalty Islands, though more common in areas of higher quality habitat. Most common call a surprisingly high-pitched, clear downslurred whistle. Also gives a more rarely-heard quiet babbling song.
Fairy Gerygone
Gerygone palpebrosa
Small plain bird with thin bill. Upperparts grayish brown with green tinges, underparts yellow. In male, distinct white facial markings extend from above the base of the bill to the chin. In female and juvenile, facial markings indistinct, usually just a light loral patch (above bill). Compare larger Green-backed Honeyeater, with pale eye and dark lores. Inhabits subtropical wet forests, usually edges and surrounding habitats, and mangroves.
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