Melaenornis silens

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Muscicapoidea

Familia: Muscicapidae
Genus: Melaenornis
Species: Melaenornis silens
Subspecies: M. s. lawsoni - M. s. silens
Name

Melaenornis silens (Shaw, 1809)
Synonyms

Sigelus silens

References

General Zoology 7 pt2 p.330

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Fiskaalvlieëvanger
English: Fiscal Flycatcher
Esperanto: Akuzista muŝkaptulo
español: Papamoscas fiscal
français: Gobemouche fiscal
magyar: Gébicsképű légykapó

The fiscal flycatcher (Melaenornis silens) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is a resident breeder in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland, and a vagrant to Namibia.

This species is found in subtropical open woodland, dry savanna, shrubland and suburban gardens.

Taxonomy

The fiscal flycatcher was previously the only member of the genus Sigelus but was moved to Melaenornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.[2][3]
Description

This black and white bird gets its name from its resemblance to the Northern and Southern fiscal shrikes (previously assumed to be one species), shrikes that in turn get the name from their black and white suit-and-tie appearance reminiscent of the taxman (‘fiscal’).[4] The male may be confused with the fiscal shrikes, but the shrikes have heavy, hooked bills, white patches on the shoulder rather than the lower wing, and no white on their longer tails. The resemblance is assumed to be an example of Batesian mimicry.[5]

The fiscal flycatcher is 17–20 cm in length. The adult male is black above and white below with white wing patches and white sides to the tail. The female is brown above, somewhat like an immature fiscal shrike, not black. The juvenile is like the female but duller and with brown spots and scalloping above and below.

The song is a weak chittering, and the alarm call is tssisk.

The fiscal flycatcher is larger than the male collared flycatcher, which has a white collar and lacks white wing panels.
Behaviour

The fiscal flycatcher builds an open-cup nest from thin stems and other plant material, and lined with plant down. It is placed in a dense bush or thicket in a tree. In these respects it resembles the fiscal shrike.[6]

The fiscal flycatcher feeds on insects, often taken in flight, but also on non-flying prey such as caterpillars. It may prey on the spiny caterpillars "woolly worms" of "tiger moths", having first scrubbed them on the ground or on bark, thereby denuding them of the worst of their spines. It also feeds on various species of small wild berries, such as Halleria and Chrysanthemoides, and from nectar-rich flowers such as some Aloes. In suburban gardens it commonly feeds opportunistically on domestic scraps.[6]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Melaenornis silens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22709113A94192892. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22709113A94192892.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Sangster, G.; Alström, P.; Forsmark, E.; Olsson, U. (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID 20656044.
Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
"Fiscal Flycatcher". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
"Fiscal Flycatcher".

Maclean, Gordon Lindsay. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa Publisher: New Holland 1993. ISBN 978-0620175838