Fiscal Flycatcher

Photo taken at Kleinmond, near Cape Town, South Africa, by Max Holdt

Sigelus silens

Other Names

German: Würgerschnäpper; Afrikaans: Fiskaalvlieëvanger

Identification

This black and white bird gets its name from its resemblance to the Common Fiscal, a shrike. The Fiscal Flycatcher is 17-20 cm in length, mass 26 g. Adult male: Black above and greyish white below (breast and flanks darker than throat and belly) with white wing patches and white sides to the tail. Adult female: Dark grey-brown, not black, above and browner below. The juvenile is like the female but duller and with brown spots and scalloping above and below.

The male can be confused with the Common Fiscal, but the shrike has a heavy, hooked bill, a white patch on the shoulder rather than the lower wing, and has no white on its longer tail. The Fiscal Flycatcher is larger than the male Collared Flycatcher, which has a white collar and lacks white wing panels.

Distribution

Southern Africa: South Africa, Swaziland, and south-eastern Botswana; limited distribution in southern Mozambique, the lowlands of Lesotho, and the extreme south of Zimbabwe.

Taxonomy

The Fiscal Flycatcher Sigelus silens is the only species in its genus, which is placed in the family Muscicapidae with other Old-World flycatchers.

There are two subspecies. S. s. lawsoni is from North-West Province, north-western Northern Cape Province, extreme western Free State Province (South Africa), and south-eastern Botswana; It is slightly buffy and paler below than the nominate race. S. s. silens is found in most of the rest of South Africa, Swaziland, southern Mozambique, the lowlands of Lesotho, and the extreme south of Zimbabwe (Described under Identification).

Habitat

Most common in moist and semi-arid lowland grasslands and savanna, valley bushveld and fynbos. The species favours fairly open vegetation, with some trees or shrubs as perches.

Behaviour

The Fiscal Flycatcher feeds on insects, often taken in flight and occasionally joins mixed-species foraging flocks. Most foraging is conducted from a perch, often on the top of a bush or small tree, or on a fence, powerline or telephone line.

The Fiscal Flycatcher builds an open cup nest from thin stems and other plant material and lined with plant down. It is placed in a dense bush or tree up to 6 m above the ground. Parasitised by the Jacobin Cuckoo.

The song is a weak chittering, and the alarm call is tssisk.

References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

External Links

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