Family Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)

Near Threatened

Furtive Flycatcher (Ficedula disposita)

Taxonomy

French: Gobemouche furtif German: Luzonschnäpper Spanish: Papamoscas furtivo

Taxonomy:

Muscicapa bonthaina disposita

Ripley and J. T. Marshall

, 1967,

Zambales Mountains above Crow Valley, Tarlac Province, Luzon, Philippines

Previously considered conspecific with F. crypta and, often, with F. bonthaina, but differences significant; prior to 1991 was known only from a single female. Monotypic.

Distribution:

Luzon, in N Philippines.

Descriptive notes

11–11·5 cm. Small olive-brown forest flycatcher with distinctive tail pattern. Has forehead to nape olive-brown, becoming greyish-brown on upperparts; uppertail-coverts... read more

Voice

Song a quiet, high-pitched 2-note or 3-note whistle, middle note higher-pitched, “wau he” or “wauhe... read more

Habitat

Lowland dense secondary-growth forest, including degraded and selectively logged areas with bamboo... read more

Food and feeding

Diet not well known; includes small invertebrates. Usually solitary or in pairs; secretive and easily overlooked. Forages in dense... read more

Breeding

Birds in breeding condition and recently fledged juvenile in May. No other information.

Movements

Resident.

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Luzon EBA. Locally common or rare within very small global range. Formerly... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Muscicapidae

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In past, traditionally treated as an outsize family that also included expanded versions of Sylviidae, Timaliidae and Turdidae; these three were subsequently split off as three separate families, but still in much expanded form as compared to their current treatment. Since publication of HBW, limits of all these families have been dramatically rewritten due to a barrage of occasionally contradictory molecular data. Within present family problems remain, particularly due to incomplete taxon sampling, but near-complete screening to species level has now been attempted for at least a handful of genera (notably Oenanthe and Saxicola), and large elements of consensus have emerged, among them the recognition of four principal lineages, here treated as subfamilies. Most notable development involves transfer of many genera from Turdidae to present family, including Alethe, Cichladusa, Heteroxenicus, Brachypteryx, Heinrichia, Myophonus, Monticola, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pogonocichla, Swynnertonia, Stiphrornis, Sheppardia, Cossypha, Xenocopsychus, Irania, Luscinia, Erithacus, Tarsiger, Cercotrichas, Copsychus, Phoenicurus, Saxicola and Oenanthe. Genetic sampling has also revealed extensive paraphyly, with the result that many species have switched genera. Some genera have disappeared completely into synonymy (e.g. Erythropygia), and others have shrunk to just one or two species (e.g. Luscinia), while a few have become substantially larger (e.g. Cercotrichas, Oenanthe).

Subfamily: Saxicolinae

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Apart from Vauriella and Ficedula, all genera previously placed in Turdidae.

Genus: Ficedula Brisson, 1760

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Placed in Saxicolinae rather than Muscicapinae based on genetic data#R. Species sequence largely derived from two recent molecular phylogenies#R #R, although some species (e.g. F. henrici) remain untested; compared to recent treatments, two species have been removed to Anthipes, and one each added from Muscicapella and Muscicapa.

See full taxonomic structure and notes