Silverbird Melaenornis semipartitus Scientific name definitions

18 cm; 22–23 g. Has head and upperparts pale bluish-grey, on neck this colour extending forward in blunt point between throat and breast side; sometimes an olive-tinged rounded spot on side of forehead; upperwing grey, but primaries and secondaries dark brownish-grey, edged silvery grey, tertials uniform silvery grey; tail graduated, silvery grey, feathers sometimes very narrowly edged whitish; chin, throat and entire underparts uniformly bright rufous , including axillaries and underwing-coverts; iris dark brown to pale sepia; bill and legs black. Differs from all other flycatchers in combination of silver-grey upperparts and rufous underparts. Sexes alike. Juvenile has feathers of upperside (except primaries and secondaries) with black tip and with black shaft (tertials) or black fringe (crown) and large buff to pale rufous subterminal spot, chin to belly buff, mottled and scalloped dark brown , underwing-coverts orange, undertail-coverts pale rufous; immature not properly described, but resembles adult.

SW & extreme S Sudan, South Sudan, SW Ethiopia (type collected in the NW at Gondar (1 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ), N & E Uganda, W Kenya and N Tanzania (S to C Tabora and N Dodoma).

Acacia (Acacia) grassland and semi-arid bushland with scattered large trees; occurs also in gardens. From at least 400 m to 1500 m.

Normally resident; several extralimital and out-of-habitat records in Kenya and NE Tanzania suggest considerable dispersal and wandering.

Insects, mostly small and wingless ones, including many ants (Formicidae); captive birds ate locusts (Acrididae) and coleopteran mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). Solitary or in pairs. Essentially arboreal , perching prominently on bushtops or in open, larger trees, from where hawks insects; often also flies to ground to seize insects. Recorded as hopping along a fence, running about on ground and hopping sedately from branch to branch. Attracted to fruiting fig trees (Ficus), to catch insects feeding at the fruit.

Song sweet and rich, like that of a thrush (Turdus) or a robin-chat (Cossypha), but sometimes soft; usually a repetition of 3 compound notes.

Breeds in wet and dry seasons; May–Aug in Sudan, and Apr–May and Sept–Feb in E Africa. Monogamous; solitary nester. Nest a substantial dome of dry grass and small thorn twigs, lined with fine grass heads; commonly uses old nest of weaver, including of White-headed Buffalo-weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli), Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes melanotis) and White-browed Sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali), also of Rufous Sparrow (Passer motitensis), such nests usually at end of thorn-tree branch 3–6 m above ground; takes 1 week or more to repair and line domed weaver nest. Clutch 2 eggs; incubation mainly or entirely by female; in captivity, 3 eggs, incubation period 13–15 days, fledging period 19–21 days. Longevity 7 years in captivity.

Not globally threatened. Locally common to abundant in much of its range; scarce to rare at N limits of range in Sudan and Ethiopia.