Yellow-rumped Flycatcher

Ficedula zanthopygia

Gaudy male striking, with yolk-yellow underparts and rump and black upperparts set off by white supercilium and wing patch. Female less brightly colored but still distinctive, with brown upperparts, a smaller yellow rump and white wing patch, and whitish underparts with faint scaling on the breast. Breeds in broadleaf and mixed forests, especially groves in riparian areas. Can be encountered in a wide range of wooded areas outside of the breeding season, from coastal scrub to pristine hill forests. Song is a short, thrush-like series of burry whistles.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Ficedula zanthopygia
Authority
(Hay, 1845)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Muscicapidae
Genus
Ficedula

Range and habitat

Breeding range
PAL : e Mongolia and se Russia to e China
Non-breeding range
se Asia through Java and Bali
Migration
Complete migrants

Behavior

The breeding area of the species is in Manchuria, Korea and China. The nesting in Xiaoxingan region is mainly in May and June. They breed mainly in low valleys at the base of hills. The home range of a pair can be about 2000-5000 sq. m. The nest is built in about three to four days by the female alone. The clutch is 4-7 eggs which are incubated by the female alone for about 11–12 days. The adults forage within about 70 metres (230 ft) of the nest to feed the chicks. The young fledge after 14–15 days. It was first noted to winter in central India in 1989, it has since been found to winter in southwestern India and Sri Lanka.<p>A species of ectoparasitic feather mite, Proterothrix megacaula was first discovered and described from the body of a yellow-rumped flycatcher in China.<p><p><p>

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Red-necked Nightjar

Red-necked Nightjar

Caprimulgus ruficollis

Resembles Eurasian Nightjar, but larger with a rufous collar and upper breast and lacks the dark “forearms” seen on Eurasian Nightjar. Note the prominent pale tips on the wing coverts. Most active at dusk when hawks for flying insects. Voice is a distinctive repetitive “tuok-tuok-tuok” rising and falling in volume. Haunts sparsely to moderately vegetated open areas such as rocky hillsides, pinewoods, and semidesert in the breeding season and winters in similar habitats in West Africa.

Rufous Vanga

Rufous Vanga

Schetba rufa

Chunky mid-sized vanga with boldly rufous, black, and white coloration. Males have a black hood, whereas females have a black cap and white throat. Found in both dry forest and rainforest, though more common in dry forest. Generally sluggish, and often perches at middle levels for long periods. Can become aggressive toward other birds that enter its territory. Large cup nest is often conspicuously placed in a low crotch of a tree. Song is a long, descending, musical trill. 

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher

Halcyon senegalensis

A medium-sized, electric-blue-backed kingfisher with a distinctive bicolored bill: red above and black below. Pairs and singles mostly hunt insects in taller dry woodland, riverine forest, and forest edges. Its loud and characteristic call is a high-pitched “tuuui”, followed by a pause and then a trilling, down-slurred “trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”. Sometimes it advertises by sitting upright, extending its wings to show a bold wing pattern, and calling. Almost all of Africa’s other similar kingfishers have a uniformly red-orange (not bicolored) bill, except the Blue-breasted Kingfisher, which differs by being larger, having a complete pale-blue breast band, and preferring denser lowland rainforest.

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.