| Fiscal flycatcher | |
|---|---|
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| Male and female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Sigelus Cabanis, 1850 |
| Species: | S. silens |
| Binomial name | |
| Sigelus silens (Shaw, 1809) | |
| Synonyms | |
Melaenornis silens | |
Thefiscal flycatcher (Sigelus silens) is a smallpasserine bird in theOld World flycatcherfamily. It is the only species placed in the genusSigelus. It is a resident breeder inBotswana,South Africa,Lesotho,Mozambique andSwaziland, and avagrant toNamibia.
This species is found in subtropical openwoodland, drysavanna,shrubland andsuburban gardens.
The fiscal flycatcher was previously theonly member of the genusSigelus but was moved toMelaenornis based on the results of amolecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.[2][3]
This black and white bird gets its name from its resemblance to thenorthern andsouthern fiscal shrikes (previously considered one species, common fiscal),shrikes that in turn get the name from their black and white suit-and-tie appearance reminiscent of the taxman (‘fiscal’).[4] The male may be confused with the fiscal shrikes, but the shrikes have heavy, hookedbills, white patches on the shoulder rather than the lower wing, and no white on their longer tails. The resemblance is assumed to be an example ofBatesian mimicry.[5]
The fiscal flycatcher is 17–20 cm in length. The adult male is black above and white below with white wing patches and white sides to the tail. The female is brown above, somewhat like an immature fiscal shrike, not black. The juvenile is like the female but duller and with brown spots and scalloping above and below.
Thesong is a weak chittering, and the alarm call istssisk.
The fiscal flycatcher is larger than the malecollared flycatcher, which has a white collar and lacks white wing panels.
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 thicket in a tree. In these respects it resembles thefiscal shrike.[6]
The fiscal flycatcher feeds on insects, often taken in flight, but also on non-flying prey such as caterpillars. It may prey on the spiny caterpillars or "woolly worms" oftiger moths, after first scrubbing them on the ground or on bark, thereby denuding them of the worst of their spines. It also feeds on various species of small wild berries, such asHalleria andChrysanthemoides, and from nectar-rich flowers such as someAloe. In suburban gardens it commonly feeds opportunistically on domestic scraps.[6]
