Fraseria (Muscicapa) caerulescens
The Ashy Flycatcher, or Blue-grey Flycatcher, is a very active little bird of dense habitats – forests, mature woodland, riverine thickets and densely planted gardens – where it feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates, often moving around in mixed flocks with other small insectivorous birds.
Ashy Flycatchers from monogamous, territorial pairs. At the start of the breeding season, which spans most of spring and summer, the partners work together to build their cup-shaped nest, using fine materials, in forks, crevices or cavities in large trees. Clutches of 2-4 eggs are incubated for a period of about two weeks, with the chicks, attentively cared for by both parents, leaving the nest about the same length of time after hatching. Adults measure around 15cm in length and weigh only 18g.
In South Africa they occur along the coast of the Eastern Cape, through the bushveld regions of Kwazulu-Natal, into the Lowveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga and through most of the Limpopo Province. To our north this species is widespread through west, central and east Africa. In conservation terms it is considered to be of least concern.
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