Asian Brown Flycatcher

The Asian Brown Flycatcher is an insectivorous species which breeds in Japan, Eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. It is a migrant and winters in Southern India and Sri Lanka.  More info after the jump.

This species is about 13cm in length and is similar in shape to the larger spotted flycatcher.  The dark bill is relatively large and is broad based. The adult has grey-brown upper parts which become greyer as the plumage ages. The under parts are whitish with brown tinged flanks. Younger birds have scaly brown upper parts, head and breast.

   

This bird is quite vocal and is a canopy dweller. It is found in different habitats, including urban gardens, as long as there are plenty of mature trees. It is usually detected by its regular somewhat loud calls. It has a habit of flying in a loop to catch prey and return to its perch.

I hadn't seen this species in our garden until December 2009. It turned out to be a regular visitor and was frequently seen feeding in the evenings. As usual it was it's call that gave away its presence. In order to capture these images I climbed up onto the roof near one of the birds regular perches. I used a Canon 7D with the 100-400mm lens to capture these images.