Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Muscicapa ferruginea
Family: Chats, Old World Flycatchers, and Allies · Status: Uncommon migrant · Size: 12.5–13 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Breeds from the northeastern Indian subcontinent and central China to Taiwan; winters in Southeast Asia including the Thai-Malay Peninsula.
Rufescent rump, uppertail-coverts, and tail set this species apart from all other Muscicapa species in Singapore. Adult has slaty-grey head, rusty-rufous fringes on coverts and tertials, and rusty-buff breast and flanks; base of lower mandible pale yellow; legs pale pinkish. Brown-breasted Flycatcher shares warm rufous wing-covert edges but has olive-brown upperparts with no rufous tail, drabber buffish flanks, and a distinctively long, thick, slightly hooked bill. Juvenile has buff streaks on crown and mantle, large pale orange-buff spots on scapulars, and dark scales on throat-sides and breast.
Forest, parks, gardens, and wooded areas.
Frequents the middle and lower storeys of forest, often near water.