Hi
Is this a Satin Flycatcher or a Leaden FlyCatcher ? (Or even something else - last time I asked if something was an A or a B, it turned out to be neither A nor B)
Bird was found in forest near a creek in Berowa Valley near Sydney - having struggled back up the walking track out of the valley it must qualify as a deep gully which the Satin FC favours as per the bird book. It was frequently quivering its tail up and down but apparently both species do that.
Thanks
I think it's a Satin Flycatcher as like you said they favour gullies, also the orange looks brighter than on Leaden Flycatcher.
Thanks Tim
I upped the exposure on one of the pics and it does show a blueish sheen on the crown which the Satin FC is described as having. Also in all the photos I think the underparts are more white (Satin FC) than off-white (Leaden FC).
I agree with Tim. LJ
Thanks for your opinion Lorne.
Doesn't the Satin have more of a gloss to it's coat? In all the photos, that specific gloss - if existent - does not appear to be visible. The Leaden Flycatcher, as it's name suggests, has a lighter, grayish lead look to it like in your photos.
I'm definitely happy to be corrected though
Satin FC for me.
Thanks Nathan and Zosterops for giving your opinions. From what i have found online they are very tricky to distinguish.
SInce I have not seen a Satin FC before, im happy to go with the majority view on this one!
http://www.graemechapman.com.au/library/viewphotos.php?c=184
seems they're even more difficult than i thought. i would have called your bird Satin on impulse as it does show the bluish crown described by Graeme, but it could be the photo exposure, also '... they are probably only separable by measurement' (!)
thanks zosterops - certainly a challenging one. Cannot make a definite ID just from photod.
I have another photo of the bird looking the other way which also shows the bluish crown (or am i just imaging it now)
The field guides I have don't seem to make note of any bluish crown... Simpson & Day makes reference to the 'grey-brown wings' of a female Satin which this bird seems to have... the grey is closer to the 'satin'-grey of a male Satin than the lighter grey of a male Leaden... LJ
Pizzey & Knight 9th Ed says (female Satin) 'bluish sheen on crown'.
A tough one! As far as I know, Leaden Flycatcher's have whiter tail feathers (underside) whereas Satin's are much darker. A photo of the underside of the tail would help.
But I have to say, male's of the species are easier to distinguish due to the demarcation (border between white and black on front) going up in Leaden's and down in Satin FC's.
For me though, it looks more like a Satin.
Thanks Owl.
Was at eye level with the bird - so I didn't get a pic of the underside of tail.
Fair enough. Just for interest here's a male Leaden Flycatcher taken at my house last year. Sorry for the poor quality shot but you should be able to see the demarcation curving upwards.
Here's a photo of a female Leaden FC also at my house where you should notice the whiter tail underparts, despite the poor quality.
Thanks Owl of K.
Thanks for posting those photos - very nice to get them in your garden! Hard to ID these birds from photos in different lights and different conditions.
Very true WD, I got lucky. I can't wait til they return this year I love Flycatchers!