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Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) Alternate name(s): "Scissors Grinder", "Scissors Sharpener", "Dishwasher", "Crested Wagtail", "Dishlick", "Grinder" Aboriginal name(s): "juwim-juwim" [bundjalung]; "djidengot", "wiring", "djowidjowi" (WA) Size: 16-21 cm Body mass: 18-25 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Restless Flycatchers are large flycatchers. Together with the closely related Paperbark Flycatcher, they are the only two species of flycatcher in Australia in which the two sexes are almost indistinguishable. Male Restless Flycatchers have black lores, while females have grey lores. Both sexes have a glossy blue-black head, down to the level of the bill, and back, down to the rump. The entire front, from lores to undertail coverts, including sides and flanks, is all-white. The uppertail and the wings are dark-grey, with a brown tinge on the flight feathers. After moulting into new plumage, they can have a pale-buff wash, mostly on the chest. As the feathers age, they become white again. Both sexes have a small erectile crest and the "whiskers" typical of flycatchers in general. The eyes have dark irises. The bill is black, the legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have a pale creamy-buff wash on the throat and upper chest. Their head and back are dark-grey; the flight feathers have buff leading edges. Twitcher's tip Restless Flycatchers and Paperbark Flycatchers have basically identical plumages; Restless Flycatchers are the larger of the two species.

Taxonomy, classification See Restless Flycatcher at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Restless Flycatchers (Myiagra inquieta) and Paperbark Flycatchers (Myiagra nana) are no longer considered to be conspecific.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Restless Flycatcher is available HERE . Restless Flycatchers are endemic to Australia. They are found across large parts of the continent, from the inland ranges just to the North-East of Cairns, QLD, at the base of Cape York peninsula, all the way South to VIC, not only along the coast and Great Dividing Range, but almost all of QLD (except the far south-western corner) and NSW (not the far north-western corner beyond Broken Hill). Their range includes all of VIC and the southern part of SA, up to almost the SA/WA border, including all of Eyre peninsula and Kangaroo Island. A second population is found in south-western WA, up to about Perth along the West coast and about Cape Arid National Park in the South. Restless Flycatchers can often be found in open forest or in remnant woodland. They adapt to the presence of humans very well and can be found hunting on paddocks and farmland with scattered trees. They have even been observed entering buildings or patios to hunt for insects under roofs and awnings. Where to look? How to find this species? Restless Flycatchers are not afraid of the presence of humans at all. They can be found in many (rural) gardens, where they usually can be seen hunting insects from low perches or hovering in flight. They are known to sometimes also hawk for insects around people's heads. Both male and female are very vocal, which often makes it possible to spot them from a fair way out.

Sightings Click here for sighting information In 2003-2006 Restless Flycatchers occasionally came to our garden 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW. Outwardly similar to Willie Wagtails (and therefore often mis-identified), they fly and hover differently and their call is very distinct. Restless Flycatchers are the only sedentary species of flycatcher in inland NSW and can be seen there throughout the year. Since the winter of 2007 we spot Restless Flycatchers regularly at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri. A fledgling Restless Flycatcher was seen by us near Walgett, NSW, in October 2010. R. Plumtree reports spotting Restless Flycatchers regularly in the area of Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC. J. Greaves reports spotting a Restless Flycatcher at Dryandra Woodlands, WA, in August 2015. Restless Flycatchers are occasionally reported to us by contributors from various locations along the Great Dividing Range and the eastern coastal fringe of both NSW and VIC. M. Eaton reports finding Restless Flycatchers nesting at Bowra Station, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in September 2017.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Note the colour of the lores (between eye and base of the bill): The male's are jet-black, the female's grey to lead-grey.

Lateral view of a pair of Restless Flycatchers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2022]

MALE

Close-up frontal view of a male Restless Flycatcher trying to impress a competitor (in a mirror); note the jet-black lores
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Frontal view of a male Restless Flycatcher trying to impress a competitor (in a mirror) with its calls and its erected crest
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Close-up frontal view of a male Restless Flycatcher looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2011]

Near-frontal view of a male Restless Flycatcher (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, February 2017]

Near-frontal view of a male(?) Restless Flycatcher
[Burren Junction, NSW, September 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Restless Flycatcher - this is what it looks like as it produces its incredible "scissor grinder" call, which it can also intonate while hovering in flight
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]

Lateral view of a male Restless Flycatcher looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a male Restless Flycatcher; note the worn, brownish primaries
[Burren Junction, NSW, September 2017]

Lateral view of a male Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2012]

Lateral view of a preening male Restless Flycatcher (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2019]

Lateral view of a male Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2007]

Near-dorsal view of a male Restless Flycatcher (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, April 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male Restless Flycatcher (photo courtesy of A. Campbell)
[Mount McEuen, QLD, February 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a male Restless Flycatcher looking sideways (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2019]

Dorsal view of a male(?) Restless Flycatcher looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, April 2018]

Dorsal view of a Restless Flycatcher looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lake Cressbrook, near Toowoomba, QLD, July 2017]

Close-up dorsal view of a male Restless Flycatcher
[Burren Junction, NSW, September 2017]

Lateral/ventral view of a Restless Flycatcher with a fashionable new hairdo - crown feathers being swept forward by a tailwind
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a hovering male Restless Flycatcher; note the jet-black lores
[Burren Junction, NSW, September 2017]

Dorsal view of a hovering Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2017]

FEMALE

Close-up frontal portrait of a female Restless Flycatcher; note the grey lores, as opposed to the males' black lores (above); note also the creamy hue of the fresh chest feathers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2026]

Frontal portrait of a female Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, Mayy 2014]

Frontal portrait of a female Restless Flycatcher looking sideways; this angle shows the rictal bristles, i.e. the hairlike feathers ("whiskers") around the bill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2014]

Near-frontal view of a female Restless Flycatcher looking sideways with its crest erected
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2022]

Close-up lateral portrait of a female Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2026]

Lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher looking towards the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Restless Flycatcher with some fresh plumage; here the grey lores are clearly discernible
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Emerald, QLD, August 2019]

Close-up dorsal view of a female Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2026]

Lateral view of a female(?) Restless Flycatcher taking off from its perch (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher calling in hovering flight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2026]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Restless Flycatcher; note the cream-coloured fresh plumage and the pale gape
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2013]

Near-frontal portrait of a juvenile Restless Flycatcher
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2013]

Ventral view of a juvenile Restless Flycatcher; note the short tail
[Near Walgett, NSW, October 2010]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Mar

Eggs: 2 - 4

Incubation period: 14 - 15 days

Fledging age: 13 - 16 days

The breeding season depends on geographical latitude and on weather conditions. Given the right conditions, Restless Flycatchers can breed almost all year round, from about August to May.

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Grass stems, rootlets, bark strips, lichen, webs

Height above ground: 2 - ? m

Close-up lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher on its nest in an Acacia salicina
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Restless Flycatcher's partner bringing cobwebs for binding the nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

"Change of the guard" at a Restless Flycatcher nest (male, left, approaching to take over duties from the female)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

Restless Flycatcher nest on a horizontal fork in a Cypress pine, about 1.5 m out from the trunk
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]

The same Restless Flycatcher nest as shown above, now seen from a different angle
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]

This photo, taken from the opposite side of the tree trunk, shows that there were two Restless Flycatcher chicks in the nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]

A few days later, when no chicks were visible and the nest looked abandoned, we went to take a shot from above, only to find that the brood had failed during a long rainy spell; the Cypress pine tree had also been teeming with ants when the nest was first found; they certainly did their job once the chicks were dead...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]

Restless Flycatcher nest in a fork of a Bottlebrush
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 20 x 16 mm

Colour: Greyish-white, with mid-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Restless Flycatchers are audacious birds that will enter patios and other partly enclosed structures in search of insects. They will approach humans to very short distances, sometimes arm's length.

Male Restless Flycatcher fighting the enemy...
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Lateral view of an excited male Restless Flycatcher fighting the enemy... (note the crest)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Male Restless Flycatcher fighting the enemy...
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Male Restless Flycatcher fighting the enemy...
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2020]

Food, Diet

Like all other members of the Myiagra family known to us, Restless Flycatchers are insect hunters (as their name already suggests).

Lateral view of a male Restless Flycatcher with its prey, a spider
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a female Restless Flycatcher looking for spiders on a bull bar
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Restless Flycatcher taking a flying ant
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2006]

Lateral view of a Restless Flycatcher taking a larger insect
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, June 2007]

Close-up dorsal view of a female Restless Flycatcher with its prey, a small insect
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2026]

Restless Flycatchers are occasionally also seen by us (during winter) to take psyllids/lerps from the underside of eucalypt leaves in hovering flight.

Restless Flycatcher taking water, and a bath, from a puddle (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, April 2018]

Additional information

There is a separate page with a short description of psyllids and lerps.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Close observation has revealed that male and female Restless Flycatcher are equally vocal. In particular, both call while hunting, even while hovering, using extensively the "scissor grinder" call.

rstless_20160202.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Contact calls(?)	© MD
rstless_20240224.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Contact calls(?)	© MD
rstless_20160202_5.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Contact calls(?) Q&A	© MD
rstless_20160202_4.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Territorial calls(?) "chewy-chewy"	© MD
rstless_20170730.m4a	inquieta (W NSW)	2 males competing for territory	© MD
rstless_20170730_2.m4a	inquieta (W NSW)	2 males competing for territory	© MD
rstless_20180908.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	"Scissor grinder" calls	© MD
rstless_20260408_2.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	"Scissor grinder" calls	© MD
rstless_20260408_3.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	"Scissor grinder" calls	© MD
rstless_20240224_2.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Warning calls(?)	© MD
rstless_20170724.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	Various	© MD
rstless_20160202_2.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	? (babbling)	© MD
rstless_20160202_3.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	? (babbling)	© MD
rstless_20230811.m4a	inquieta (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More Restless Flycatcher sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.