Elminia albicauda
The exquisite White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) is a small, agile passerine renowned for its striking sapphire-blue plumage and prominent white outer tail feathers. Measuring approximately 12-13 cm (4.7-5.1 inches) in length and weighing around 7-10 grams, this species exhibits minimal sexual dimorphism, with both sexes displaying vibrant blue upperparts, a dusky black loral patch, and a contrasting white belly. Its most distinctive field mark is undoubtedly the broad white pan...
This species primarily inhabits mid-elevation Afromontane forests, evergreen woodlands, and forest edges, typically found between 1,000 to 2,500 meters (3,300-8,200 feet) above sea level.
Primarily insectivorous, its diet consists mainly of small flies, beetles, caterpillars, and other arthropods, which it captures through aerial hawking and gleaning from vegetation.
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is a highly active and restless diurnal bird, constantly flitting through the understory and lower to mid-canopy of its forested habitat. Its foraging strategy is characterized by agile aerial hawking, where it sallies from a perch to snatch insects in flight, oft...
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is a resident species, broadly distributed across the Afromontane regions of central and eastern Africa. Its primary breeding and year-round range extends from eastern Angola, through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, eastwards into Ke...
Least Concern
- Despite its name, the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is not a "true" flycatcher (Muscicapidae or Tyrannidae); it belongs to the distinct family Stenostiridae, sometimes called "Fairy Flycatchers. - Its vibrant blue plumage is often iridescent, shimmering differently depending on the light conditi...