Megabyas flammulatus
The African Shrike-flycatcher (*Megabyas flammulatus*) is a captivating member of the Platysteiridae family, known for its striking sexual dimorphism and active demeanor. Males are adorned with a fiery orange belly, contrasting sharply with a glossy black back, black crest, and a prominent white patch on their wings, typically measuring 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 15-20g. Females, by contrast, display more subdued yet elegant rufous or chestnut underparts, grey-brown upperparts, an...
Primarily inhabits moist tropical and subtropical lowland forests, dense secondary growth, and forest edges, generally found at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 meters.
Feeds predominantly on insects, including flies, beetles, moths, caterpillars, and other arthropods, captured primarily through aerial hawking and gleaning from vegetation.
Diurnal and highly active, the African Shrike-flycatcher is typically observed singly or in pairs, often joining mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly during the non-breeding season. Its primary foraging strategy involves aerial hawking; it perches upright, scanning for insects, then darts ...
The African Shrike-flycatcher is a resident species, widely distributed across the equatorial belt of sub-Saharan Africa. Its breeding and year-round range extends from West Africa, including countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, eastward through the Congo Basin to Uganda a...
Least Concern
- The specific epithet "flammulatus" is Latin for "flame-colored," a direct reference to the male's dazzling orange underparts. - Despite its common name, the African Shrike-flycatcher is more closely related to the wattle-eyes (family Platysteiridae) than to true shrikes (family Laniidae). - Mal...