Saturday 6 April 2019

Grey-headed Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)

OTHER NAMES: Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Latin Etymology: Culicicapa ("midge seize") ceylonensis ("of Sri Lanka")
Adult Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher (subspecies C. c. calochryseaat Angkor Thom, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Culicicapa ceylonensis calochrysea
Weight: 6-9g  /  Length: 12-13cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Despite the name, this species isn't actually a member of the flycatcher family at all, and is infact a member of the Family Stenostiridae; a small group of birds that have fairly recently been found to comprise their own family having previously been distributed across various others, and are now known as the Fairy Flycatchers.  They are actually more closely related to the Tits than to other flycatchers, although they certainly have behavioural parralel evolution to the "True" flycatcatchers - this one was feeding with that characteristic flycatcher behaviour.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Stenostridae
Genus: Culicicapa
SUBSPECIES: C. c. calochrysea, C. c. ceylonensis, C. c. antioxantha, C. c. sejuncta, C. c. connectens

 - Sighting Locations -
CAMBODIA  Khmer name: ចាបសុីរុយក្បាលប្រផេះ ("Grey-headed sparrow")
A fairly common resident.
 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One near Angkor Thom

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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