Southern Black Flycatcher

From Opus

Melaenornis pammelaina

Photo by: safariranger
Photo taken: Nylstoom, South Africa May, 2009

[edit] Identification

Plumage and bare parts black; eye brown. The tail is square.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa, east of 10°E.

[edit] 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

• Southern Angola to northern Namibia and north-western Botswana

• M. p. tropicalis

• DRC to Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and western Tanzania

• M. p. poliogygna

• Angola to Caprivi Strip (Namibia), Zimbabwe, north-western Malawi and south-western Tanzania

[edit] Habitat

Open woodland.

[edit] Behaviour

Utilize branches and similar perches from which is captures prey mainly on the ground.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Sinclair et al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-09682-1

• List of references

[edit] External Links