Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Ficedula elisae
Family: Chats, Old World Flycatchers, and Allies · Status: Uncommon migrant · Size: 13–13.5 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Breeds in northeastern China; winters in southern Thailand and the Thai-Malay Peninsula.
Male has green upperparts with a white wing patch, yellow loral stripe, eyering, rump and underparts. Female resembles male but has paler yellowish underparts, no yellow rump, and the white wing patch is replaced by two faint narrow pale bars on wing-coverts. Male differs from Narcissus Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher by having olive-green (not black) upperparts. Subadult and female are more difficult to separate: compared to Narcissus, Green-backed has shorter undertail-coverts which are around half the length of the tail (best viewed from the side), more olive (less rufescent) uppertail-coverts, and a larger, deep-based bill; compared to Yellow-rumped, subadult and female Green-backed lack the yellow rump and have shorter undertail-coverts.
Forest, parks, gardens and wooded areas.
Forages in the understorey by aerial flycatching, in undergrowth and low vegetation, and occasionally on the ground.