Muscicapa

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Muscicapa
SpottedFlycatcheronfence.jpg
Spotted flycatcher (M. striata)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Muscicapa
Brisson, 1760
Type species
Motacilla striata
Pallas, 1764
Species

see text

Muscicapa is a genus of passerine birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, and therein to the typical flycatchers of subfamily Muscicapinae. They are widespread across Europe, Africa and Asia with most species occurring in forest and woodland habitats. Several species are migratory, moving south from Europe and northern Asia for the winter. [1]

Contents

They are small birds, 9 to 15 cm (3.5 to 5.9 in) in length. They have a large head, short tail and a flattened bill, broader at the base. Their plumage is mostly drab brown or grey and rather plain. Young birds tend to be more spotted or mottled. [1]

Muscicapa flycatchers typically feed on flying insects which are caught by sallying out from an exposed perch. The nest is usually cup-shaped and built on a tree branch but some African species nest in tree holes. [1]

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) as the type species. [2] [3] The word Muscicapa comes from the Latin musca, a fly and capere, to catch. [4]

In 2010 two large molecular phylogenetic studies of species within Muscicapidae showed that Muscicapa was non-monophyletic. The authors were unable to propose a revised genus as not all the species were sampled. [5] [6] A subsequent study published in 2016 included 37 of the 42 Muscicapini species. It confirmed that Muscicapa was non-monophyletic and proposed a reorganised arrangement with several new or resurrected genera. [7]

Extant species

There are 17 extant species of Muscicapa flycatchers: [8]

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Muscicapa griseisticta eating insect.JPG Grey-streaked flycatcher Muscicapa griseistictanorth-east China, North Korea and south-east Siberia including Sakhalin and Kamchatka. In spring and autumn it migrates through eastern and southern China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. In winter it occurs in forests, forest edges and open country with scattered trees in Borneo, the Philippines, Palau, eastern Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a vagrant to Singapore, Vietnam, Alaska and Australia.
Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN2172 (2).jpg Dark-sided flycatcher Muscicapa sibiricaAsia
Muscicapa ferruginea -side-8 (2).jpg Ferruginous flycatcher Muscicapa ferrugineaBangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Muscicapa muttui.jpg Brown-breasted flycatcher Muscicapa muttuinorth eastern India, central and Southern China and northern Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, and migrates to southern India and Sri Lanka.
Ashy-breasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa randi) facing left in tree.jpg Ashy-breasted flycatcher Muscicapa randiPhilippines
Sumba brown flycatcher Muscicapa segregataIndonesia
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica) at Periyar National Park.jpg Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica [9] [10] Japan, eastern Siberia,southern India, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and Vietnam, and the Himalayas
Brown-streaked flycatcher Muscicapa williamsonisouthern Myanmar, southern Thailand, northern peninsular Malaysia, and northeast Borneo
Sulawesi streaked flycatcher Muscicapa sodhiiSulawesi
Yellow-footed flycatcher Muscicapa sethsmithiCameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Little grey flycatcher Muscicapa epulataCameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone
African Dusky Flycatcher.jpg African dusky flycatcher Muscicapa adustaAfrica from Nigeria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ethiopia south to South Africa
Muscicapa striata 1 (Martin Mecnarowski).jpg Spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striataMediterranean and Europe to Central Asia, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa
Jielbeaumadier gobemouche gris 2 calvi 2014.jpeg Mediterranean flycatcher Muscicapa tyrrhenicathe Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa
Gambaga flycatcher Muscicapa gambagaeBurkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Yemen
Cassin's Flycatcher bwindi jan06.jpg Cassin's flycatcher Muscicapa cassiniAngola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia
Swamp flycatcher.jpg Swamp flycatcher Muscicapa aquaticaBenin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia

Extinct species

There are at least two fossil species which are included in this genus:

Former species

Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Muscicapa:

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Sinclair et al. (2003), Perrins (2004), del Hoyo et al. (2006)
  2. ↑ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie; ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, espéces & leurs variétés. &c (in Latin and French). Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. Vol. 1 p. 32, Vol. 2 p. 357.
  3. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 313.
  4. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. p. 260. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ↑ Sangster, G.; Alström, P.; Forsmark, E.; Olsson, U. (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID   20656044.
  6. ↑ Zuccon, D.; Ericson, P.G.P. (2010). "A multi-gene phylogeny disentangles the chat-flycatcher complex (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Zoologica Scripta. 39 (3): 213–224. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00423.x. S2CID   85963319.
  7. ↑ Voelker, G.; Huntley, J.W.; Peñalba, J.V.; Bowie, R.C.K. (2016). "Resolving taxonomic uncertainty and historical biogeographic patterns in Muscicapa flycatchers and their allies". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 94 (Pt B): 618–625. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.026 . PMID   26475615.
  8. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Mlíkovský, J. (2012). "Correct name for the Asian Brown Flycatcher (Aves:Muscicapidae, Muscicapa". Zootaxa. 3393: 53–56. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3393.1.4.
  10. ↑ Dickinson, E.C.; et al. (2014). "Correcting the "correct" name for the Asian Brown Flycatcher (Aves: Passeriformes, Muscicapidae, Muscicapa". Zootaxa. 3869 (3): 343–347. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3869.3.8. PMID   25283921.
  11. 1 2 Kessler, E. 2013. Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary. – Hantkeniana, Budapest, 2013, 8: 37-149.
  12. ↑ "Malurus melanocephalus (Red-backed Fairywren) - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  13. ↑ "Pachycephala pectoralis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  14. ↑ "Pachycephala caledonica - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  15. ↑ "Pachycephala rufiventris xanthetraea - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  16. ↑ "Colluricincla megarhyncha - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  17. ↑ "Hypothymis azurea - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  18. ↑ "Trochocercus cyanomelas - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  19. ↑ "Terpsiphone viridis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  20. ↑ "Terpsiphone bourbonnensis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  21. ↑ "Chasiempis sandwichensis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  22. ↑ "Pomarea nigra - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  23. ↑ "Pomarea pomarea - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  24. ↑ "Metabolus rugensis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  25. ↑ "Symposiachrus guttula - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  26. ↑ "Symposiachrus manadensis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  27. ↑ "Monarcha cinerascens inornatus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  28. ↑ "Monarcha melanopsis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  29. ↑ "Carterornis chrysomela - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  30. ↑ "Arses telescopthalmus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  31. ↑ "Myiagra alecto chalybeocephala - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  32. ↑ "Pycnonotus melanicterus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  33. ↑ "Pycnonotus [sinensis or formosae] - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  34. ↑ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1832). Longman. 1854-01-01.

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