Scientific Name: Muscicapa ferruginea
Malay Name: Sambar-Kusam Api
Chinese Name: 棕尾褐鹟
Range: Found from northeast Indian subcontinent, central China to Taiwan and winters Southeast Asia
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 12.5-13 cm
Identification: Adult has distinctive slaty-grey head, rufescent rump, uppertail-coverts and tail, rusty-rufous fringes on coverts/tertials and rusty-buff breast and flanks. Juvenile resembles adult but has buff streaks on crown, short rusty streaks on upper-mantle and scapulars and darkish scales/mottlings on throat-sides and breast.
Similar looking species: Brown-breasted Flycatcher
Habitat: Forest, parks, gardens and wooded areas.
Behaviour/Ecology: Frequents the middle and lower storeys usually near streams.
Local Status: Uncommon migrant
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Central Catchment Forest, Venus Drive, Lower Pierce Boardwalk, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Bidadari and Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Featured reports: Sep 2022, Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Nov 2023, Dec 2023, Mar 2024, Oct 2024, Nov 2024, Dec 2024
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Ferruginous Flycatcher)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Muscicapa ferruginea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22709223A94197939.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Ferruginous Flycatcher. Retrieved on June 17, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/ferruginous-flycatcher.