Flycatchers and Chats

Status

Winter visitor

Range

Widespread across the subcontinent in winter, especially reedbeds and wet scrub

Habitat

Damp cover — reedbeds, tall grass and scrub near water, tamarisk along rivers

IUCN

Least Concern

A bird that works low and stays hidden, then stands up on an open perch in low sun and becomes one of the most striking small birds in India: a blue throat crossed by a white or rufous gorget line and, on the best-marked birds, a chestnut spot at the centre of the blue. The tail is rufous-based and often flicked open. The birds photographed here show the full pattern well.

FM0176←→

Jan 2018Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary, Sangareddy, Telangana

Tap to expand

Status

Resident, with altitudinal movement — descends lower in winter

Range

The Himalaya from Himachal Pradesh east through Arunachal Pradesh

Habitat

Forest floor and undergrowth, mid to high elevation, descending in winter

IUCN

Least Concern

This individual is an olive-brown female or immature bird with a whitish throat, an orange-buff patch on the flank, and a blue tail and rump — the blue tail is retained by both sexes and is the most reliable field mark when the rest of the plumage gives little away. Adult males are a much more vivid blue above with a black face mask, quite unlike the bird in this frame. Usually found low, hopping on the ground or perching just above it, often along paths and forest edges.

FM0276

Mar 2024Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve (SBVCR), West Kameng, Arunachal PradeshStanding on gravel path, tail slightly cocked, catching early light.

Tap to expand

Status

Breeding migrant in the Himalaya, winters in peninsular India

Range

Breeds across the Himalaya; winters across much of peninsular India and Sri Lanka

Habitat

Forest, from moist evergreen to dry deciduous, in winter often at forest edges and clearings

IUCN

Least Concern

The male is a clean deep blue above with white underparts and a dark patch at the sides of the breast, sometimes fluffed out enough to look almost black. Females and duller individuals are grey-blue above rather than deep blue, with the same white underside, and can be told from similarly-patterned flycatchers by the combination of small size, white outer tail feathers, and the short, thin bill typical of the genus.

FM0233←→

Nov 2016Ananthagiri Hills, Vikarabad, TelanganaMale on a bare twig, deep blue upperparts and dark breast patch lit warm.

Tap to expand

Status

Winter visitor, Vulnerable

Range

Breeds only in a small part of Kashmir; winters mainly in the Western Ghats hill forests of southern India

Habitat

Forest and forest edge in the hills, favouring shola/evergreen patches on the wintering grounds

IUCN

Vulnerable

The male has an orange throat and breast fading to white on the belly, grey-brown upperparts, and white patches at the base of the tail. Females and duller individuals lack the orange and can be confused with female/non-breeding Red-breasted Flycatcher, also in this group — tail pattern and the extent of white at the base help separate them, but this pairing is a genuinely close call best confirmed against a field guide. A range-restricted breeder with a small global population, so every confirmed wintering record matters.

FM0229←→

Jan 2021Catherine Water Falls Road, Kotagiri, The Nilgiris, Tamil NaduMale perched on a bare branch at first light, orange throat and breast lit warm.

Tap to expand

Status

Winter visitor

Range

Widespread across the subcontinent in winter

Habitat

Open woodland, orchards, gardens and scrub — often in surprisingly ordinary places

IUCN

Least Concern

Small, upright and restless, forever cocking the tail and flashing the white sides of it. The male photographed here has a grey head and a clean orange throat and breast. Taiga Flycatcher is extremely close and winters alongside it; the orange is more confined to the throat on that bird, and the uppertail coverts are blacker. This one was identified by Fareed.

FM0180

Dec 2018Ananthagiri Hills, Vikarabad, Telangana

Tap to expand