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 - Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher
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Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher Melaenornis chocolatinus Scientific name definitions

Barry Taylor
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated March 28, 2018

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Field Identification

15–16 cm; 20–25 g. Has head (including cheek and ear-coverts), neck side and entire upperparts dark brown, tinged greyish or olivaceous; remiges very dark brown, slightly glossy; tail dark brown to blackish-brown; throat and underparts smoky grey, washed buffy on breast, paler grey on belly, undertail-coverts buffy grey-white; underwing-coverts and axillaries smoky grey, washed buffy; iris pale yellow; bill pale grey or bluish-grey, dark culmen and tip; legs black. Distinguished from M. brunneus by greyer head, pale eyes; from M. fischeri by browner upperparts, pale eyes, no white eyering. Sexes alike. Juvenile is dark brown above, with numerous small buff spots on forehead and crown, larger, more diffuse buff spots on mantle, back, upperwing-coverts and tips of tertials, pale buff or greyish-white below, heavily scaled dark brown from chin to upper belly, eyes dark, bill yellowish; immature like adult, but with a few scattered buff spots on upperparts, a few dark brown markings on side of breast and upper belly. Races are weakly differentiated: reichenowi has throat and breast slightly darker and greyer than nominate, and sometimes darkish streaks on upper belly.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

In the past, sometimes considered conspecific with M. brunneus and M. fischeri, and all three have been placed in a separate genus, Dioptrornis. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies


SUBSPECIES

Melaenornis chocolatinus chocolatinus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

C Eritrea (Adi Keyih S to Senafe) and N and C Ethiopia.

SUBSPECIES

Melaenornis chocolatinus reichenowi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Ethiopia (Wallegha to Gimirra).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Heavy woodland, relatively open forest, forest edge, juniper (Juniperus) woodland and coffee plantations; often near streams. Inhabits wet woodland above 2150 m in Eritrea; occurs at 1800–2500 m in Ethiopia.

Movement

None recorded.

Diet and Foraging

Little information. Food insects. Said to hunt “in typical flycatcher manner” (presumably by sallying) in canopy and from lower branches , usually more than 3 m above ground; sometimes darts to ground for prey.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

No information; said to be very like voice of M. fischeri.

Breeding

Breeding suspected in Jan–Feb and Mar–Jun in Ethiopia; gonads enlarged in Jun, Dec and Mar–May. Nest a neat cup of moss and rootlets, lined with rootlets, placed on horizontal bough. Clutch probably 3 eggs; no information on incubation and fledging periods. Recorded longevity at least 6 years.

Not globally threatened. Uncommon in Eritrea, but frequent to common in Ethiopia. This species’ range and numbers must have decreased as a result of habitat destruction, which is presumably still a threat.

Distribution of the Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher

Recommended Citation

Taylor, B. (2020). Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis chocolatinus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.abyslf1.01
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