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21

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) Note: "Spotted" Flycatcher is a misnomer (striata = "Striated")! Size: 13.5-15 cm; wing span 23-23.5 cm Weight: 10-21 g

Oman: Family Group 21 Family Group 21 Table Spotted Flycatcher Lesser Whitethroat Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Spotted Flycatchers are small insectivore birds. Their plumage is cryptic. They are basically grey to grey-brown all over, with some striation on the crown and down the throat and chest. The wing coverts have light-grey edge lining, while the flight feathers and the tail are dark-grey. The back is mid-grey, while the belly, vent and undertail coverts are light-grey. Only the supercilium has a noticeable brownish tinge. The irises are dark. The straight bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are also dark-grey. Juvenile Spotted Flycatchers have a lighter-grey front than adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Spotted Flycatcher at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat 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 Spotted Flycatcher is available HERE . Spotted Flycatchers are a migratory species with in total about 7 races. Their breeding range extends from western Europe, including the British Isles, and near-coastal north-western Africa, to central and southern central Asia in the East. On migration they are found in parts of North Africa, all of Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East and the Arabian peninsula. They spend the northern winters in parts of Africa and south-west Asia. In passage between Africa and Asia, Spotted Flycatchers are found basically everywhere, at least along the near-coastal fringes of Arabia. The most likely race to cross is "sarudnyi", whose breeding range extends from eastern Iran and Turkmenistan to the mountains of central Asia and northern Pakistan. Spotted Flycatchers have a preference for habitats with some vegetation (shrubs, trees) with suitable perches, from which they hawk for insects into open areas. We have found Spotted Flycatchers in an arboretum.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "sarudnyi" A Spotted Flycatcher, race "sarudnyi"(?), was first seen by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in October 2009. The juvenile bird shown below was spotted in April 2010. Race "striata" Spotted Flycatchers, nominate race "striata", have since also been spotted by us in Europe. Race "tyrrhenica" Spotted Flycatchers, race "tyrrhenica", have since also been spotted by us in Europe.

Photos

Race "sarudnyi"(?)

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Spotted Flycatcher
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Lateral view of a Spotted Flycatcher
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a Spotted Flycatcher
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Dorsal view of a Spotted Flycatcher looking sideways
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Dorsal view of a Spotted Flycatcher
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher; note the orange gape and the very light-grey front
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher on rocky terrain near a pond
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Race "striata"

Photos of Spotted Flycatchers, race "striata", have been obtained by us in Europe.

Race "tyrrhenica"

Photos of Spotted Flycatchers, race "tyrrhenica", have been obtained by us in Europe.

Food, Diet

As their name suggests, Spotted Flycatchers are insect hunters. Most flycatchers hunt for insects from low to mid-level perches.

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.

spotfly_dw_20160813.m4a

(Poland)

Contact calls?

© DW

More Spotted 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.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 2 June 2023, 20:34 +00:00