Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Fairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita) - HBW 11, p. 126
French: Mignard enchanteur
German: Elfenschnäpper
Spanish: Papamoscas Duende
Other common names: Fairy Warbler/Flycatcher-warbler
Taxonomy: Muscicapa scita Vieillot, 1818, Lower Orange River, Cape Province, South Africa.
Affinities disputed. Sometimes treated as an Old World warbler in family Sylviidae on basis of plumage and behaviour, but differs from sylviids in that nestling possesses natal down and lacks tongue spots; alternatively, sometimes regarded as a monarch-flycatcher in family Monarchidae, and it resembles Elminia in plumage and behaviour, but differs from this group in voice, mouth colour, lack of eyering and shape of carpometacarpus. Currently considered most likely to belong in present family, and probably closest to Myioparus plumbeus, with which it may even be congeneric. Three.. View all taxonomy...
Affinities disputed. Sometimes treated as an Old World warbler in family Sylviidae on basis of plumage and behaviour, but differs from sylviids in that nestling possesses natal down and lacks tongue spots; alternatively, sometimes regarded as a monarch-flycatcher in family Monarchidae, and it resembles Elminia in plumage and behaviour, but differs from this group in voice, mouth colour, lack of eyering and shape of carpometacarpus. Currently considered most likely to belong in present family, and probably closest to Myioparus plumbeus, with which it may even be congeneric. Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- scita (Vieillot, 1818) - breeds SW South Africa (S Northern Cape and NW Western Cape); non-breeding N to S Namibia, Botswana and occasionally Zimbabwe.
- saturatior Lawson, 1962 - breeds S South Africa (Western Cape, Eastern Cape); non-breeding also N to W Free State.
- rudebecki Clancey, 1955 - breeds Lesotho highlands; non-breeding South Africa (Free State, Gauteng highveld, highlands of KwaZulu-Natal).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A distant bird flicking its tail Locality Lesotho (ssp rudebecki)
Helmut Schenkel Brunner 31 December 2001 5 years ago 13 sec 3.6
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A bird perched on an acacia tree.
Locality Karoo National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp scita)
Carmelo López 29 November 2010 2 years ago 2.8 -
Adult seen perched on karoo shrub
Locality Karoo National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp scita or maybe saturatior)
Loutjie Steenberg 21 December 2010 2 years ago 1.7
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Response to playback at 5:32am. Lark-like Bunting flight calls in the background. Locality Karoo National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa
(ssp saturatior)
Charles Hesse 18 December 2009 3 years ago 4
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