Flycatcher-shrike
Encyclopedia
The flycatcher-shrikes are two species
of small Asia
n passerine
bird
belonging to the genus
Hemipus. They are traditionally placed in the cuckoo-shrike
family, Campephagidae. It now appears that they, along with the woodshrikes and philentoma
s, are more closely related to the helmetshrike
s, Prionopidae, and vanga
s, Vangidae.
and feet are black. The plumage
is dark above and pale below with white on the rump. The Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
has a large white patch on the wing which the Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
lacks.
in southern Asia. Both species have large ranges and are not considered to be threatened
. The Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike occurs in the Indian Subcontinent
, south-west China
, mainland South-east Asia and on the islands of Sumatra
and Borneo
. The Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is found in the Malay Peninsula
and on Sumatra
, Borneo
, Java
and Bali
.
The nest
is cup-shaped and built on a tree branch. Two or three eggs
are laid; they are greenish or pinkish with darker markings. Both parents are involved in building the nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the young.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
belonging to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Hemipus. They are traditionally placed in the cuckoo-shrike
Cuckoo-shrike
The cuckooshrikes and allies in the Campephagidae family are small to medium-sized passerine bird species found in the subtropical and tropical Africa, Asia and Australasia...
family, Campephagidae. It now appears that they, along with the woodshrikes and philentoma
Philentoma
Philentoma is an enigmatic genus of birds. They were included in the Muscicapidae when these were used as a "wastebin taxon" mainly for lack of a better idea, but have recently been recognized as part of a "shrike"-like group...
s, are more closely related to the helmetshrike
Helmetshrike
The helmetshrikes are smallish passerine bird species. These birds were included with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, later on split between several presumably closely related groups such as bushshrikes and cuckoo-shrikes , but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated...
s, Prionopidae, and vanga
Vanga
The vangas are a group of little-known small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to Madagascar and the Comoros. They are usually classified as the family Vangidae. There are about 22 species, depending on taxonomy...
s, Vangidae.
Description
They are 12.5–14.5 cm in length. They are slender birds with fairly long wings and tails. The billBeak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
and feet are black. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is dark above and pale below with white on the rump. The Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
The Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike is a small passerine bird currently placed in the cuckoo-shrike family but possibly closer to the bushshrikes of Africa. It is found in the forests of tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas and hills of the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia...
has a large white patch on the wing which the Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
The Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is a species of bird in the flycatcher-shrike genus, Hemipus. It is traditionally included in the cuckoo-shrike family, Campephagidae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands, occurring in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand...
lacks.
Distribution and range
They are found in broad-leaved forest, forest edge and secondary forestSecondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
in southern Asia. Both species have large ranges and are not considered to be threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
. The Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike occurs in the Indian Subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, south-west China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, mainland South-east Asia and on the islands of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. The Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is found in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
and on Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
.
Behaviour
They forage actively in the forest canopy for insects. They are often found in groups and frequently join mixed-species foraging flocks. They will also catch insects in flight.The nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is cup-shaped and built on a tree branch. Two or three eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid; they are greenish or pinkish with darker markings. Both parents are involved in building the nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the young.
Species list
- Black-winged Flycatcher-shrikeBlack-winged Flycatcher-shrikeThe Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is a species of bird in the flycatcher-shrike genus, Hemipus. It is traditionally included in the cuckoo-shrike family, Campephagidae. It is found in the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands, occurring in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand...
, H. hirundinaceus - Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikeBar-winged Flycatcher-shrikeThe Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike is a small passerine bird currently placed in the cuckoo-shrike family but possibly closer to the bushshrikes of Africa. It is found in the forests of tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas and hills of the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia...
, H. picatus
See also
The two shrike-flycatcher species of Africa are also occasionally known as flycatcher-shrikes:- Crested Flycatcher-shrike: see Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcherBlack-and-white Shrike-flycatcherThe Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher , also known as the Black-and-white Flycatcher or Vanga Flycatcher, is a species of passerine bird found in Africa...
(Bias musicus) - Red-eyed Flycatcher-shrike: see African Shrike-flycatcherAfrican Shrike-flycatcherThe African Shrike-flycatcher is a species of bird in the Platysteiridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Megabyas....
(Megabyas flammulatus)