Muscicapa striata

The Spotted Flycatcher is a migrant to sub-Saharan Africa, travelling here to escape the winter in its Eurasian breeding grounds. The birds arrive in South Africa during October and November and leave again by early April, and is one of the most numerous summer visitors. While here, they can be seen in any part of the country, though the highest densities occur in our northern and eastern provinces. The IUCN considers the Spotted Flycatcher to be of Least Concern, estimating a total population of at least 54-million.

While they’re visiting our country during our summer months, the Spotted Flycatcher is not picky about its habitat – any open haunt that provides them a low perch from which to hunt the insects they subsist on seems to do. They are usually seen alone in these parts. Fully grown they measure about 14cm in length and weigh approximately 15g.