Birdsong field guide
African Crested Flycatcher
Trochocercus cyanomelas
A small, active monarch flycatcher characterized by its prominent crest, restless behavior, and frequent fanning of its long tail.
What it sounds like
A series of sharp, buzzy notes often transcribed as 'zweet-zweet' followed by a dry, chattering 'tcher-tcher-tcher'.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
0:00 / 0:51
Field notes
- Males exhibit striking sexual dimorphism with a glossy blue-black head and crest, while females are more uniformly greyish-brown.
- It belongs to the Monarchidae family, making it more closely related to paradise flycatchers than to typical Muscicapidae flycatchers.
- The bird uses a 'flush-and-pursue' foraging strategy, drooping its wings and spreading its tail to startle insects into flight.
- Its nest is a remarkably neat, tiny cup made of fine bark strips and moss, held together with large amounts of spider silk.
- It is a frequent and vocal participant in mixed-species foraging flocks, often moving through the lower and mid-canopy layers.
Habitat
Lowland and montane evergreen forests, riverine forests, and dense coastal thickets.
Range
Southeastern and Eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa through the Albertine Rift to Somalia.
Similar & commonly confused birds
Heard a African Crested Flycatcher?
Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.
Identify a bird by its song