Mascarene Paradise-Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Mike Barth
Mauritius Island, June 2015

Terpsiphone bourbonnensis

Identification

15-20 cm. A Paradise-Flycatcher without the long central tail feathers (common to most Paradise-Flycatchers).

• Black cap
• Thin grey neckband
• Dull chestnut upperparts
• Grey throat and underparts
• Deep blue eyering wattle
• Bright blue bill with black tip
• desolata with much brighter plumage

Females are smaller, have a paler bill and a dark grey cap. Immature males have a dark grey cap, too.

Distribution

Mauritius Island and Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
Still fairly common on Reunion Island, much rarer on Mauritius Island.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Two subspecies recognized^[1]:

• T. b. bourbonnensis on Reunion Island
• T. b. desolata on Mauritius Island

Habitat

On Mauritius Island restricted to remnants of native evergreen vegetation, concentrated south of the central plateau. On Reunion Island in all kinds of forest, most common in low and mid-altitude mixed forest (from sea-level up to 600m) but also up to the tree-line.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects.
Usually hawks for its prey solitary under the canopy. On Reunion Island, joins also feeding groups of Mascarene White-eyes.

Breeding

Breeding season August to February (with peak from October to November) on Mauritius Island, September to December on Reunion Island. A territorial species. The nest is a carefully made, cup-shaped nest of thin plant parts held by cobwebs. It's placed in a small tree. Lays 2 to 3 eggs. Male and female sit on the eggs. Hatching time some 15 days. Young are fed another 5 weeks by their parents.

Movements

This is a resident species.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.3). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Mascarene Paradise-Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mascarene_Paradise-Flycatcher

External Links

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