Birdsong field guide
Brown-breasted Flycatcher
Muscicapa muttui
A small, unassuming insectivore characterized by its distinct pale loreal patch and warm, rufous-tinged plumage. It is a long-distance migrant within the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
What it sounds like
A thin, high-pitched 'tseep' or 'tzi' call; the song is a series of soft, descending trills and warbles.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- The species is named after Muttu, the cook and assistant of naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard who collected the first specimen.
- It is distinguished from similar flycatchers by its notably large, pale-based bill with a distinct flesh-colored lower mandible.
- This bird is a passage migrant through much of India, breeding in the northeast and wintering in the southwest and Sri Lanka.
- Unlike many relatives, it lacks a prominent eye-ring, instead showing a broad, pale area between the eye and the bill.
- It is often found in the deep shade of the forest understory, where it sits in a characteristically upright posture while hunting.
Habitat
Shaded understory of moist evergreen forests, dense bamboo thickets, and well-wooded gardens.
Range
Breeds in Northeast India, Southern China, and Northern Southeast Asia; winters in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka.
Similar & commonly confused birds
African Dusky FlycatcherMuscicapa adustaAshy-breasted FlycatcherMuscicapa randiAsian Brown FlycatcherMuscicapa dauuricaBrown-streaked FlycatcherMuscicapa williamsoniCassin's FlycatcherMuscicapa cassiniDark-sided FlycatcherMuscicapa sibiricaFerruginous FlycatcherMuscicapa ferrugineaGambaga FlycatcherMuscicapa gambagae
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