- Melaenornis pammelaina
Identification
Plumage and bare parts black; eye brown. The tail is square.
Similar Species
Does not show the graduated tail of Northern Black-Flycatcher. Eyes are dark brown in contrast to the red eyes of of in-range Drongos such as Fork-tailed Drongo and Square-tailed Drongo.
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa, east of 10°E.
Taxonomy
Melaenornis pammelaina has five subspecies:[1]
- M. p. ater
- South-eastern Botswana to Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe, Mozambique and eastern South Africa
- M. p. pammelaina
- Southern Tanzania to south-eastern Malawi and Mozambique (north Save River)
- M. p. diabolicus
- M. p. tropicalis
- M. p. poliogynus
Habitat
Open woodland.
Behaviour
Utilize branches and similar perches from which is captures prey mainly on the ground.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Sinclair et al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-09682-1
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Southern Black Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Southern_Black_Flycatcher
