African Grey Flycatcher? (1 Viewer)

[THE_FERN]

Hi folks

Do you agree with me that this:

African Grey Flycatcher

Many thanks for sharing your great photos and for your motivating comments on my posts. A great WE for all!

www.birdforum.net

is Ashy Flycatcher ssp. brevicauda ..?

 

[01101001]

(bump)

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hi folks

Do you agree with me that this:

African Grey Flycatcher

Many thanks for sharing your great photos and for your motivating comments on my posts. A great WE for all!

www.birdforum.net

is Ashy Flycatcher ssp. brevicauda ..?

Check out Lead-coloured race orientalis, pale feather edges and obvious, white alula as here.

 

[THE_FERN]

Check out Lead-coloured race orientalis, pale feather edges and obvious, white alula as here.

Sorry which taxonomy is that from (and which species)?

There's no subspecies with that name under African Grey fly or Ashy flycatcher in either IOC or Clements, at least not in the Oct '22 and 13.2 eds respectively.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Sorry which taxonomy is that from (and which species)?

There's no subspecies with that name under African Grey fly or Ashy flycatcher in either IOC or Clements, at least not in the Oct '22 and 13.2 eds respectively.

Because it's neither of those species if it is Lead-coloured.

Ashy, should be much colder in appearance and without the pale feather edges whilst the alula is also a lot, less obvious.

 

[01101001]

Grey Tit-Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

had a problem finding it myself

 

[Andy Adcock]

Grey Tit-Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

had a problem finding it myself

Ah, sorry but It's in the most widely used field guide, 'Birds of East Africa', Stevenson and Fanshawe.

 

[Bewick]

Ah, sorry but It's in the most widely used field guide, 'Birds of East Africa', Stevenson and Fanshawe.

Also in the guides I use.

 

[THE_FERN]

Check out Lead-coloured race orientalis, pale feather edges and obvious, white alula as here.

Hmm. Have you a reference for the alula? Both seem to have this although perhaps more often obvious on the tit-fly. Fanshawe says white outer tail feathers distinguish the latter. I'd note:

Shorter tail better for ashy
No apparent white outer tail feathers better for ashy
Strong white eye ring arcs are better for tit-fly
pale feather edges better for tit-fly (but variable by race)
all dark bill perhaps better for tit-fly

Fanshawe talks about posture but more or less all the ebird photos are of similar stances.

 

[THE_FERN]

(I should note I moved this image away from the Opus African Grey Flycatcher page as it was clearly not that. It's currently on the Ashy fly page, but perhaps safest is to remove it from there and place in incertis sedis?

...But keen to hear arguments if we think we can identify it unequivocally.)

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hmm. Have you a reference for the alula? Both seem to have this although perhaps more often obvious on the tit-fly. Fanshawe says white outer tail feathers distinguish the latter. I'd note:

Well, no but it's illustrated as being glaringly, obvious in the field guide as it is in this particular individual.

 

[Andy Adcock]

(I should note I moved this image away from the Opus African Grey Flycatcher page as it was clearly not that. It's currently on the Ashy fly page, but perhaps safest is to remove it from there and place in incertis sedis?

...But keen to hear arguments if we think we can identify it unequivocally.)

Aside from your points already made which fall, percentage wise in favour of Tit, the black, loral line is quite wide and diffuse, supposed be narrow in Ashy and I've have no issue with calling it Tit if it were on my trip list.

 

[THE_FERN]

Well, no but it's illustrated as being glaringly, obvious in the field guide as it is in this particular individual.

The latest Fanshawe ed is a bit different:


We see no hint of alula here.

Equivalent ashy:

However, ebird images show there's more overlap than these suggest

 

[THE_FERN]

fall, percentage wise

Barely, not really unequivocally.

Unless there's something more concrete, I think best is to just remove it from opus and suggest it's unidentified.

 

[Bewick]

The latest Fanshawe ed is a bit different:
View attachment 1536574

We see no hint of alula here.

Equivalent ashy:
View attachment 1536575
However, ebird images show there's more overlap than these suggest

What app is this?

Edit- never mind I see now.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Loral characteristic is still very obvious and noted in the text.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Barely, not really unequivocally.

Unless there's something more concrete, I think best is to just remove it from opus and suggest it's unidentified.

That's up to you, don't you have someone in Africa who could opine?

 

[THE_FERN]

Sorry to prolong but I think this is valuable discussion. Here's the ashy fly from birds south of the sahel. To me it looks like the first image posted, with very strong black loral stripe

 

[Andy Adcock]

I think the bird in the OP is overall, much, browner than this.

The bird in this last post is confusing because the underparts are illustrated as being much browner than they should be.

This is what Ashy should look like IMHO Ashy Flycatcher

 

[01101001]

Let me reopen this can of worms, please. Also, any new contributors, maybe?

All three side by side:

https://faansiepeacock.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Flycatchers-1024x747.jpg

(from LBJs Book - faansiepeacock.com)