Ficedula subrubra
The Kashmir Flycatcher, *Ficedula subrubra*, is a compact, vibrant Old World flycatcher, typically measuring 12-13 cm in length and weighing around 7-10 grams. Males are striking, featuring a blackish head contrasting with a prominent white supercilium, a vivid orange-red throat and breast, dark brown upperparts, and a clean white belly. Females are more subdued, with browner upperparts and a duller orange wash on the underparts, making sexual dimorphism quite distinct. A key field mark for m...
Breeds in dense deciduous and mixed coniferous forests, often in oak or rhododendron woodlands with thick undergrowth, typically at high elevations (2,000-3,200m); winters in lowland evergreen forests, plantations, and gardens up to 1,500m.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on flies, beetles, caterpillars, ants, and other small invertebrates, caught by aerial sallies or gleaning from vegetation.
Kashmir Flycatchers are diurnal, active foragers, typically perching on exposed branches or stumps from which they sally forth to snatch flying insects in a classic flycatching manner. They also glean insects from foliage and the ground. During the breeding season, males establish and vocally def...
The Kashmir Flycatcher has a highly specific geographic distribution. Its breeding range is restricted to the Western Himalayas, primarily within Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand in India, extending into adjacent northern Pakistan. Here, it is found at elevations typically between 2,000...
Near Threatened
- The Kashmir Flycatcher is a long-distance migrant, traveling from the high Western Himalayas to southern India and Sri Lanka annually. - Despite its small size, it undertakes one of the most impressive altitudinal migrations among flycatchers, moving from 3,200 meters down to sea level. - It is...