African Paradise Flycatcher
Terpsiphone viridis
Observed at Lelin Overland Campsite on the Elgeyo Escarpment, Kenya. December 2012. Female.
From Wikipedia: The African Paradise Flycatcher is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. This species is usually found in open forests and savannah habitats. Two or three eggs are laid in a tiny cup nest in a tree. The adult male African Paradise Flycatcher is about 17 cm long, but the very long tail streamers double this. It has a black head, neck and underparts, and chestnut wings and tail. There is a prominent white wingbar. The female has a browner tint to the underparts and lacks the wingbar and tail streamers. Young birds are similar to the female but duller. The males show considerable variation in plumage in some areas. There is a morph of this species in which the male has the chestnut parts of the plumage replaced by white, and some races have black tail streamers. The African Paradise Flycatcher is a noisy bird with a harsh scolding call. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It is insectivorous, often hunting by flycatching.
Photographed and contributed by Evans Torotich at Uthiru, Nairobi, Kenya. March 2016.
Monarchidae -- Monarch Flycatcher Family
Books Available for Sale on ABE Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe