Stizorhina fraseri
Fraser's Rufous Thrush (*Stizorhina fraseri*), a striking member of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae), is a medium-sized passerine measuring approximately 16-18 cm in length and weighing around 20-25 grams. Its plumage is characterized by a vibrant rufous-orange to chestnut coloration across its head, back, and underparts, creating a stark and beautiful contrast with its dark brown to blackish wings and tail. Distinctive field marks include this sharp bicoloration, a relatively l...
This species primarily inhabits lowland and mid-elevation evergreen rainforests, dense secondary growth, gallery forests, and forest edges, typically found from sea level up to 1400 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of beetles, ants, termites, and caterpillars, supplemented occasionally with other small invertebrates and small fruits. Foraging is typically done by gleaning from foliage and bark or sallying for flying insects.
Fraser's Rufous Thrush is a diurnal bird, typically observed foraging solitarily or in pairs during the day and roosting inconspicuously within dense foliage at night. It employs an active foraging strategy, gleaning insects and other invertebrates from leaves, branches, and tree trunks, often wo...
Fraser's Rufous Thrush is a widespread resident species across a broad swathe of West and Central Africa, with its range extending from Sierra Leone eastward through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Further east, it occurs across Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (including Biok...
Least Concern
- Despite its "thrush" common name, Fraser's Rufous Thrush is actually classified as an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae), not a true thrush (Turdidae). - Its scientific genus name, *Stizorhina*, derives from Greek, roughly meaning "pricked nose," though the exact morphological feature it refer...