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Spotted flycatcher

January 01, 1970

The spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is declining in parts of its range.

Spotted flycatcher
In the Czech Republic
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Muscicapa
Species:
M. striata
Binomial name
Muscicapa striata
(Pallas, 1764)
Range of M. striata
  Breeding
  Passage
  Non-breeding
Synonyms

M. grisola L.[2]

This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail. The adults have grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with a streaked crown and breast, giving rise to the bird's common name.[3] The legs are short and black, and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores. Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts.

Taxonomy edit

The spotted flycatcher was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Motacilla striata.[4][5][6] The genus name Muscicapa comes from the Latin musca, a fly and capere, to catch. The specific epithet striata is from the Latin striatus meaning striated.[7]

There are five recognised subspecies all of which winter in southern Africa. The breeding range is given below.[8][9]

  • M. s. striata (Pallas, 1764) – Europe to west Siberia, northwest Africa
  • M. s. inexpectata Dementiev, 1932 – Crimea (southern Ukraine)
  • M. s. neumanni Poche, 1904 – islands of the Aegean Sea through to the Middle East, the Caucasus, northern Iran and central Siberia
  • M. s. sarudnyi Snigirewski, 1928 – eastern Iran and Turkmenistan to the mountains of central Asia and north Pakistan
  • M. s. mongola Portenko, 1955 – Mongolia and south-central Siberia

Two other subspecies were previously recognised, M. s. tyrrhenica and M. s. balearica. However, a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016 found that they were genetically similar to each other but significantly different from the other spotted flycatcher subspecies. The authors proposed that these insular subspecies should be considered as a separate species.[10] The International Ornithologists' Union has split the species and it is known as the Mediterranean flycatcher, while other taxonomic authorities still consider it to be conspecific.

Description edit

The spotted flycatcher is a small slim bird, around 14.5 cm (5.7 in) in length, with a weight of 14–20 g (0.49–0.71 oz). It has dull grey-brown upperparts and off-white underparts. The crown, throat and breast are streaked with brown while the wings and tail feathers are edged with paler thin margins.[11] The subspecies M. s. tyrrhenica has paler and warmer plumage on the upperparts, with more diffuse markings on the head and breast.[12] The sexes are alike. Juveniles have ochre-buff spots above and scaly brown spots below.[9]

Behaviour and ecology edit

Spotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches, making sallies after passing flying insects, and often returning to the same perch. Their upright posture is characteristic.

Most passerines moult their primary flight feathers in sequence beginning near the body and proceeding outwards along the wing. The spotted flycatcher is unusual in replacing the outer flight feathers before those nearer the body.[13][14]

The flycatcher's call is a thin, drawn out soft and high pitched tssssseeeeeppppp, slightly descending in pitch.

Breeding edit

They are birds of deciduous woodlands, parks and gardens, with a preference for open areas amongst trees. They build an open nest in a suitable recess, often against a wall, and will readily adapt to an open-fronted nest box. 4-6 eggs are laid.

Most European birds cannot discriminate between their own eggs and those of other species. The exception to this are the hosts of the common cuckoo, which have had to evolve this skill as a protection against that nest parasite. The spotted flycatcher shows excellent egg recognition, and it is likely that it was once a host of the cuckoo, but became so good at recognising the intruder's eggs that it ceased to be victimised. A contrast to this is the dunnock, which appears to be a recent cuckoo host, since it does not show any egg discrimination.[15]

Predation edit

A study conducted at two different locations in southern England found that one third of nests were predated. The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) was the most common aerial predator, consuming both eggs and chicks. The domestic cat (Felis catus) predated a small fraction of the nests.[16]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Clutch
  •  
    Spotted flycatcher nest.
  •  
    A juvenile flycatcher shortly after leaving the nest.
  •  
    Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden
  •  
    Cuculus canorus canorus in a clutch of Muscicapa striata - MHNT
  •  
    Muscicapa striata striata - MHNT

References edit

  1. ^ BirdLife International. (2019). "Muscicapa striata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T22709192A155605346. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22709192A155605346.en. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Muscicapa grisola Linnaeus". GBIF. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ "Spotted Flycatcher". Wildlife in Norfolk. Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  4. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 11. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 314.
  5. ^ Sherborn, C. Davies (1905). "The new species of birds in Vroeg's catalogue, 1764". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 47: 332–341 [336]. Includes a transcript of the 1764 text.
  6. ^ Rookmaaker, L.C.; Pieters, F.F.J.M. (2000). "Birds in the sales catalogue of Adriaan Vroeg (1764) described by Pallas and Vosmaer". Contributions to Zoology. 69 (4): 271–277. doi:10.1163/18759866-06904005.
  7. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp. 260, 367. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4..
  8. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2016). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  9. ^ a b Taylor, B. (2020). "Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. doi:10.2173/bow.spofly1.01. S2CID 216294072. Retrieved 17 June 2016.(subscription required)
  10. ^ Pons, J.-M.; Thibault, J.-C.; Aymí, R.; Grussu, M.; Muntaner, J.; Olioso, G.; Sunyer, J.R.; Touihri, M.; Fuchs, J. (2016). "The role of western Mediterranean islands in the evolutionary diversification of the spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata, a long-distance migratory passerine species". Journal of Avian Biology. 47 (3): 386–398. doi:10.1111/jav.00859.
  11. ^ Snow, D.W.; Perrins, C.M., eds. (1998). "Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)". The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Volume 2: Passerines. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 1349–1352. ISBN 0-19-850188-9.
  12. ^ Viganò, M.; Corso, A. (2015). "Morphological differences between two subspecies of spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata (Pallas, 1764) (Passeriformes Muscicapidae)" (PDF). Biodiversity Journal. 6 (1): 271–284.
  13. ^ Jenni, Lukas; Winkler, Raffael (1994). Moult and Ageing of European Passerines. London, San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-123-84150-X.
  14. ^ Svensson, Lars (1992). Identification Guide to European Passerines (4th ed.). Stockholm: L. Svensson. pp. 34, 222–223. ISBN 91-630-1118-2.
  15. ^ Davies, N. B.; Brooke, M. de L. (1989). "An experimental study of co-evolution between the Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, and its hosts. I. Host egg discrimination". Journal of Animal Ecology. 58 (1): 207–224. Bibcode:1989JAnEc..58..207D. doi:10.2307/4995. JSTOR 4995. S2CID 56303051.
  16. ^ Stevens, D.K.; Anderson, G.Q.A.; Grice, P.V.; Norris, K.; Butcher, N. (2008). "Predators of Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata nests in southern England as determined by digital nest-cameras". Bird Study. 55 (2): 179–187. Bibcode:2008BirdS..55..179S. doi:10.1080/00063650809461520.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muscicapa striata.
  • Spotted Flycatcher videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
  • Ageing and sexing (PDF; 1.8 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
  • Feathers of Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
  • Spotted flycatcher - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
  • Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the spotted flycatcher

January 01, 1970
spotted, flycatcher, spotted, flycatcher, muscicapa, striata, small, passerine, bird, world, flycatcher, family, breeds, most, europe, palearctic, siberia, migratory, wintering, africa, south, western, asia, declining, parts, range, czech, republic, conservati. The spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia and is migratory wintering in Africa and south western Asia It is declining in parts of its range Spotted flycatcher In the Czech Republic Conservation status Least Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Aves Order Passeriformes Family Muscicapidae Genus Muscicapa Species M striata Binomial name Muscicapa striata Pallas 1764 Range of M striata Breeding Passage Non breeding Synonyms M grisola L 2 This is an undistinguished looking bird with long wings and tail The adults have grey brown upperparts and whitish underparts with a streaked crown and breast giving rise to the bird s common name 3 The legs are short and black and the bill is black and has the broad but pointed shape typical of aerial insectivores Juveniles are browner than adults and have spots on the upperparts Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Behaviour and ecology 3 1 Breeding 4 Predation 5 Gallery 6 References 7 External linksTaxonomy editThe spotted flycatcher was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Motacilla striata 4 5 6 The genus name Muscicapa comes from the Latin musca a fly and capere to catch The specific epithet striata is from the Latin striatus meaning striated 7 There are five recognised subspecies all of which winter in southern Africa The breeding range is given below 8 9 M s striata Pallas 1764 Europe to west Siberia northwest Africa M s inexpectata Dementiev 1932 Crimea southern Ukraine M s neumanni Poche 1904 islands of the Aegean Sea through to the Middle East the Caucasus northern Iran and central Siberia M s sarudnyi Snigirewski 1928 eastern Iran and Turkmenistan to the mountains of central Asia and north Pakistan M s mongola Portenko 1955 Mongolia and south central Siberia Two other subspecies were previously recognised M s tyrrhenica and M s balearica However a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016 found that they were genetically similar to each other but significantly different from the other spotted flycatcher subspecies The authors proposed that these insular subspecies should be considered as a separate species 10 The International Ornithologists Union has split the species and it is known as the Mediterranean flycatcher while other taxonomic authorities still consider it to be conspecific Description editThe spotted flycatcher is a small slim bird around 14 5 cm 5 7 in in length with a weight of 14 20 g 0 49 0 71 oz It has dull grey brown upperparts and off white underparts The crown throat and breast are streaked with brown while the wings and tail feathers are edged with paler thin margins 11 The subspecies M s tyrrhenica has paler and warmer plumage on the upperparts with more diffuse markings on the head and breast 12 The sexes are alike Juveniles have ochre buff spots above and scaly brown spots below 9 Behaviour and ecology editSpotted flycatchers hunt from conspicuous perches making sallies after passing flying insects and often returning to the same perch Their upright posture is characteristic Most passerines moult their primary flight feathers in sequence beginning near the body and proceeding outwards along the wing The spotted flycatcher is unusual in replacing the outer flight feathers before those nearer the body 13 14 The flycatcher s call is a thin drawn out soft and high pitched tssssseeeeeppppp slightly descending in pitch Breeding edit They are birds of deciduous woodlands parks and gardens with a preference for open areas amongst trees They build an open nest in a suitable recess often against a wall and will readily adapt to an open fronted nest box 4 6 eggs are laid Most European birds cannot discriminate between their own eggs and those of other species The exception to this are the hosts of the common cuckoo which have had to evolve this skill as a protection against that nest parasite The spotted flycatcher shows excellent egg recognition and it is likely that it was once a host of the cuckoo but became so good at recognising the intruder s eggs that it ceased to be victimised A contrast to this is the dunnock which appears to be a recent cuckoo host since it does not show any egg discrimination 15 Predation editA study conducted at two different locations in southern England found that one third of nests were predated The Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius was the most common aerial predator consuming both eggs and chicks The domestic cat Felis catus predated a small fraction of the nests 16 Gallery edit nbsp Clutch nbsp Spotted flycatcher nest nbsp A juvenile flycatcher shortly after leaving the nest nbsp Egg Collection Museum Wiesbaden nbsp Cuculus canorus canorus in a clutch of Muscicapa striata MHNT nbsp Muscicapa striata striata MHNTReferences edit BirdLife International 2019 Muscicapa striata IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019 e T22709192A155605346 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2019 3 RLTS T22709192A155605346 en Retrieved 7 October 2021 Muscicapa grisola Linnaeus GBIF Retrieved 2023 11 23 Spotted Flycatcher Wildlife in Norfolk Norfolk Wildlife Trust Retrieved 3 May 2019 Mayr Ernst Cottrell G William 1986 Check list of Birds of the World Volume 11 Vol 11 Cambridge Massachusetts Museum of Comparative Zoology p 314 Sherborn C Davies 1905 The new species of birds in Vroeg s catalogue 1764 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 47 332 341 336 Includes a transcript of the 1764 text Rookmaaker L C Pieters F F J M 2000 Birds in the sales catalogue of Adriaan Vroeg 1764 described by Pallas and Vosmaer Contributions to Zoology 69 4 271 277 doi 10 1163 18759866 06904005 Jobling James A 2010 The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names London United Kingdom Christopher Helm pp 260 367 ISBN 978 1 4081 2501 4 Gill Frank Donsker David eds 2016 Chats Old World flycatchers World Bird List Version 6 2 International Ornithologists Union Retrieved 20 May 2016 a b Taylor B 2020 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata In del Hoyo J Elliott A Sargatal J Christie D A de Juana E eds Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive Lynx Edicions doi 10 2173 bow spofly1 01 S2CID 216294072 Retrieved 17 June 2016 subscription required Pons J M Thibault J C Aymi R Grussu M Muntaner J Olioso G Sunyer J R Touihri M Fuchs J 2016 The role of western Mediterranean islands in the evolutionary diversification of the spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata a long distance migratory passerine species Journal of Avian Biology 47 3 386 398 doi 10 1111 jav 00859 Snow D W Perrins C M eds 1998 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata The Birds of the Western Palearctic Concise Edition Volume 2 Passerines Oxford Oxford University Press pp 1349 1352 ISBN 0 19 850188 9 Vigano M Corso A 2015 Morphological differences between two subspecies of spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata Pallas 1764 Passeriformes Muscicapidae PDF Biodiversity Journal 6 1 271 284 Jenni Lukas Winkler Raffael 1994 Moult and Ageing of European Passerines London San Diego Academic Press ISBN 0 123 84150 X Svensson Lars 1992 Identification Guide to European Passerines 4th ed Stockholm L Svensson pp 34 222 223 ISBN 91 630 1118 2 Davies N B Brooke M de L 1989 An experimental study of co evolution between the Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its hosts I Host egg discrimination Journal of Animal Ecology 58 1 207 224 Bibcode 1989JAnEc 58 207D doi 10 2307 4995 JSTOR 4995 S2CID 56303051 Stevens D K Anderson G Q A Grice P V Norris K Butcher N 2008 Predators of Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata nests in southern England as determined by digital nest cameras Bird Study 55 2 179 187 Bibcode 2008BirdS 55 179S doi 10 1080 00063650809461520 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muscicapa striata Spotted Flycatcher videos photos amp sounds on the Internet Bird Collection Ageing and sexing PDF 1 8 MB by Javier Blasco Zumeta amp Gerd Michael Heinze Feathers of Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Spotted flycatcher Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Xeno canto audio recordings of the spotted flycatcher Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spotted flycatcher amp oldid 1209521997, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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