Paperbark Flycatcher

Overview

The paperbark flycatcher, also known as the little restless flycatcher, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. It was previously treated as a subspecies of the restless flycatcher but was split into its own species in 1999 due to distinct physical and vocal differences.

Identification

• Entirely glossy black upperparts contrast with entirely white underparts.
• Smaller than the restless flycatcher, weighing only two-thirds as much, with a proportionately shorter and broader bill.
• Possesses longer and stouter rictal bristles than its southern relative.
• Almost never uses the distinctive "scissors-grinding" call associated with the restless flycatcher.

Habitat

This species inhabits tropical eucalypt, paperbark, and dry riverine woodlands in northern Australia, and scrub or sedgeland bordering rivers in southern New Guinea. Its range covers the Kimberley region, the Top End, and Gulf Country of Australia, extending to the Torres Strait island of Saibai and the lower Bensbach River region in New Guinea.

Diet

The paperbark flycatcher is a conspicuous forager that often hovers near the ground when searching for food. Specific dietary items are not detailed in the reference material, but it is typically observed in pairs or singly.

Did you know?

Although it was long considered a subspecies of the restless flycatcher, the two species now form a parapatric relationship with no intergradation, and most restless flycatchers in the overlapping range area are non-breeding migrants.