Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula subrubra Scientific name definitions

13 cm; 9–12 g. Male breeding has lores, feathers around eye, ear-coverts and neck side dark grey; rest of head, and upperparts , umber-brown, becoming more ashy on rump, uppertail-coverts blackish; lesser upperwing-coverts umber-brown, tinged grey, remiges and rest of upperwing-coverts dark brown, edged lighter brown; tail blackish, T3 with white patch at base of outer web, outer three feather pairs (T4-T6) white at base; chin, throat and centre of breast to upper belly deep orange-chestnut , black line from base of bill to side of throat and more broadly at breast side, lower belly whitish, thighs ashy, flanks and undertail-coverts fawn-buff; underwing-coverts and axillaries light fawn-buff, whitish near wing edge; iris hazel-brown; upper mandible brown, lower mandible yellowish; legs dark brown. Differs from F. parva in darker brown upperparts, blackish border to darker rufous-chestnut of throat, breast and upper belly. Non-breeding male undescribed, presumably has less extensive orange-red on chin and throat, and flanks perhaps more buffish. Female is paler brown above than male, with no grey tinge on rump, lores, feathers around eye and cheek ashy whitish, tail as male, chin and throat buffy white, tawny-brown below, throat, breast and upper flanks with variable rufous mottling (often looking scaly or barred), belly and undertail-coverts plain whitish, underwing-coverts and axillaries yellowish. Juvenile is dark brown with buff spotting, tail blackish; immature resembles female.

Himalayas of NE Pakistan (Neelum Valley) and Kashmir; non-breeding mainly Sri Lanka, also SW India.

Breeds mainly in deciduous forest, sometimes in mixed forest and woodland, commonly of walnut (Juglans), cherry (Prunus) and willow (Salix), and especially where there is dense undergrowth of Perrotia or hazel (Corylus); at 1800–2700 m. On passage and in Sri Lankan non-breeding quarters, frequents gardens, tea estates, and borders of forest and woodland; in hills above c. 900 m in Sri Lanka.

Migratory. Spends non-breeding season in Sri Lanka, and apparently also in SW India (S Western Ghats). Leaves breeding areas in Sept; migrates through peninsular India in Sept–Oct, arrives in Sri Lanka Oct; return to breeding grounds in second half Apr. Uncommonly recorded on passage, but records from Western Ghats; passage migrants observed also C Nepal, Bhutan and E India (Eastern Ghats).

Food insects; no recorded details, but presumably similar to those taken by F. parva. Takes most of its food while flitting from one perch to another under shade of leafy foliage, usually less than c. 6 m above ground. In non-breeding quarters apparently descends to ground more frequently, to hop around in search of insects. Jerks tail and flicks wings while foraging.

Song a short, sweet twitter, rising at end, has been transcribed as “sweet-eat, sweet-eat-did-he”. Calls include a low dry rattle, also a sharp “chak”; also a “wip”, sometimes repeated at varying speed, sometimes alternated with dry repeated “tch”.

Breeds from second half May, mostly in Jun. Presumably monogamous and territorial. Nest an untidy cup made of leaves, moss and some strips of bark, lined with hair and a few feathers, placed c. 1–3 m (rarely higher, up to 12 m) above ground in small tree hole or crevice. Clutch 4–5 eggs, sometimes 3; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

VULNERABLE. Restricted-range species: present in Western Himalayas EBA. Uncommon and very local. Formerly regarded as common in its NW Himalayan breeding areas, but population now small, and declining as a result of habitat loss. Rare and local in Pakistan with a few pairs breeding (2 Grimmett, R., T. Roberts, and T. Inskipp (2008). Birds of Pakistan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Scarce passage migrant or winter visitor in Nepal prior to 1990, but has declined markedly and now considered very rare (3 Inskipp, C., H. S. Baral, S. Phuyal, T. R. Bhatt, M. Khatiwada, T. Inskipp, A. Khatiwada, S. Gurung, P. B. Singh, L. Murray, L. Poudyal, and R. Amin (2016). The Status of Nepal's Birds. The National Red List Series. Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom. Close ). Uncommon on Sri Lankan wintering range. Global population roughly estimated at 2500–10,000 birds BirdLife International (2016) Species factsheet: Ficedula subrubra. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15/07/2016. . This species’ very small global breeding range is severely fragmented as a result of the destruction of temperate, mixed deciduous forests. Major causes are conversion of land to agriculture, commercial timber extraction, livestock-grazing (which degrades understorey structure and composition), and lopping of trees for animal fodder, fuelwood and construction materials. On wintering grounds in Sri Lanka, appears to be more adaptable, being found in degraded and edge habitats (4 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ).