Fairy Flycatcher Stenostira scita Scientific name definitions

11–12 cm; 4–8 g. Distinctive flycatcher with long, graduated tail. Male has crown to rump uniform dark blue-grey, very slightly tinged olive; lores, ear-coverts and cheek black, forming mask, bordered above by narrow white supercilia that meet on forehead, and below by long white malar stripe; narrow white line along lower eyelid; uppertail-coverts bluish-black, tail glossy black, white outer pair of feathers and increasingly broad white tips on T4-T6; flight-feathers black, primaries and secondaries narrow­ly edged glossy grey, tertials edged white on outer webs (most prominent on longest tertial); primary coverts and alula black, greater and median upperwing-coverts broadly tipped white (together with white-edged tertials forming prominent long wingbar), lesser coverts brownish-black; chin white; upper throat white, washed pink (salmon-pink feather bases), lower throat, side of neck and breast soft blue-grey; rear flanks white, feathers long and silky, overlapping side of rump (often making rump look white), belly whitish, washed pink (feathers with pink bases), undertail-coverts white; axillaries and underwing-coverts white; iris dark sepia-brown; bill and legs black. Differs from Fraseria plumbea in having prominent head pattern, bold white wingbar, and pink-washed lower underparts; also smaller. Female resembles male but has less clear blue-grey upperparts, paler grey breast. Juvenile is browner above than adult, chin lacks pinkish wash, breast grey, washed pale yellow, grey not extending to flanks, belly white or greyish-white, washed pale yellow; immature not properly described. Race <em>rudebecki</em> is slightly darker grey than nominate, and has longer wing and longer tail; saturatior is poorly defined, slightly darker than nominate.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Breeds in dry Karoo bush and scrub, fynbos (macchia), bushy and woody hillsides, thorn thickets, scrubby mountain ravines and valleys, and wooded watercourses; in Lesotho, commonly in mountain gonna (Passerina montana) scrub at c. 3000 m. In non-breeding season, moves into acacia (Acacia) savanna, montane scrub, plantations and gardens. Avoids closed woodland, but requires trees and shrubs for foraging and nesting.

Mostly silent. Song  variable and squeaky, a series of thin “tsee-tsi-zee-tseepy-tsweeu” or “tseepy-zzzz” phrases with many variations, rather like that of a sunbird (Nectariniidae), often ending in characteristic “cheep cheep”. Calls include rapid “kisskisskisskiss” trill, and descending “cher cher” or “zrrt zrrt zrrt” notes.