Muscicapa adusta
Silhouette: Ekytza · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The African dusky flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta), also known as the dusky-brown flycatcher or dusky alseonax, is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It is a resident breeder in elevated areas of Sub-Saharan Africa (including the Bié and Western High plateaus). It is very common in its woodland habitat, which includes riverine forests, evergreen forest edges and clearings, especially near water bodies such as lakes, dams and streams, and well-wooded suburban gardens.
The African dusky flycatcher is 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs around 11 g (0.39 oz). Its upperparts are plain brown, with the only facial marking being an indistinct narrow eye-ring. The chin is plain pale grey, and the rest of the underparts are grey-brown with indistinct streaks. The short, straight, laterally flattened bill is black, the legs and feet are grey, and the eyes are brown. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile is spotted with buff above, and is whitish spotted with brown below.
This species is similar to the common migrant, the spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, but is smaller and darker, especially on the underparts, than that species. Spotted flycatcher... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Dusky Flycatcher sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 324 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 56th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Dusky Flycatcher in Cape Town on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Dusky Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate African Dusky Flycatcher sightings, Cape Town ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia, about 30%), Durban (South Africa, about 20%) and Nairobi (Kenya, about 20%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the African Dusky Flycatcher that you can see in Cape Town (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Cape Robin-Chat (about 40%) and Fiscal Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Dusky Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Town (324 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
