Southern Black Flycatcher ( Melaenornis pammelaina, family: Muscicapidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Black Flycatcher
The Southern Black Flycatcher (Latin name Melaenornis pammelaina) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 694 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 915 also a picture of the Southern Black Flycatcher
on page 753. The Southern Black Flycatcher belongs to the family of
birds classified as Muscicapidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick
Institute of African Ornithology the Southern Black Flycatcher is also
known by these other names: South African Black Flycatcher.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Southern Black Flycatcher was called the Black Flycatcher
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Southern Black Flycatcher is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Southern Black Flycatcher in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Southern Black Flycatcher : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Southern Black Flycatcher is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Southern Black Flycatcher is about 20 cms and its weight is about 30 gms
You will find that the male Southern Black Flycatcher plumage and colours are different to that of the female Southern Black Flycatcher
- Head is black.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is black.
- Back is black.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Southern Black Flycatcher feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Nectar
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Southern Black Flycatcher is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Melaenornis pammelaina will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Southern Black Flycatcher is to create the nest in a hole in a tree trunk. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Southern Black Flycatcher are: woodlands and grasslands
You will not see Southern Black Flycatcher in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... umMbesi
Afrikaans ...Swartvlievanger
German ... Drongoschnpper
Portuguese ... Papa-moscas-preto-meridional
French ... Gobemouche sud-africain
Dutch ... Kaapse Drongovliegenvanger
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 694
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
