Myiagra rubecula
The Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula) is a dainty and active passerine bird belonging to the Monarchidae family, native to Australia and New Guinea. Measuring approximately 13-16 cm in length and weighing 10-15 grams, males are strikingly distinct with their glossy blue-black heads and upperparts, contrasting sharply with a pure white throat, breast, and belly. Females, by contrast, sport grey-brown upperparts and a diagnostic rufous throat and breast, fading to white on the belly. Both se...
Found in a variety of wooded habitats, including open forests, woodlands, mangroves, and along watercourses, from sea level up to moderate elevations around 1500 meters.
Primarily an insectivore, consuming a wide range of flying insects caught on the wing through aerial sallying.
A highly active and diurnal bird, the Leaden Flycatcher typically forages alone or in pairs, employing a classic 'sallying' technique: perching quietly on an exposed branch, scanning for insects, then darting out in an agile, acrobatic flight to snatch prey mid-air before returning to its perch. ...
The Leaden Flycatcher boasts a broad distribution across northern and eastern Australia, including Tasmania, and extends northward into southern New Guinea and parts of eastern Indonesia. Breeding populations are widespread throughout eastern and southeastern Australia, with southern birds undert...
Least Concern
- The Leaden Flycatcher's name is derived from the male's distinctive dull, lead-grey (or blue-black) plumage. - It is one of several species in the Monarchidae family often referred to as 'monarch flycatchers' due to their agile, hawking flight. - Their cup-shaped nests are miniature architectur...