Gray-streaked Flycatcher illustration
Birdsong field guide

Gray-streaked Flycatcher

Muscicapa griseisticta

A slender, long-winged insectivore distinguished by prominent gray streaks on its white underparts and an upright perching posture.

What it sounds like

A thin, high-pitched 'tsee' or metallic 'zit'; the song is a faint, hurried series of thin whistles.

Reference call, compare with what you heard
0:00 / 0:20
Rec. Peter Boesman · ChinaCC BY-NC-NDXeno-canto

Field notes

  • It is a long-distance migrant, traveling from breeding grounds in Northeast Asia to wintering sites as far south as New Guinea.
  • The species possesses exceptionally long wings relative to its body size, a physical adaptation for its arduous trans-oceanic journeys.
  • It primarily hunts using the 'sallying' method, darting from exposed perches to snatch flying insects before returning to the same spot.
  • While it belongs to the Muscicapa genus, it lacks the distinct pale eye-ring found in several of its close relatives like the Spotted Flycatcher.
  • It is a regular but rare spring and autumn vagrant to the western Aleutian Islands and other parts of coastal Alaska.
Habitat
Breeds in taiga and mixed forests; winters in open woodlands, mangroves, and forest edges.
Range
Eastern Palearctic (breeding) to Wallacea and New Guinea (wintering).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Heard a Gray-streaked 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