- Elminia longicauda
Identification
Male - cobalt blue above and on the throat, paler below, with a long tail. Females and immatures - grey, narrow band of blue on edges of wing and tail-feathers.
Distribution
Equatorial Africa.
Taxonomy
Polytypic. Consists of two subspecies. Sometimes considered a superspecies with the White-tailed blue flycatcher, E. albicauda.
Habitat
Open secondary forest, swampy or riverine forests, and wooded savannas, cleared and abandoned fruit and cocoa plantations.
Behaviour
The diet includes insects which can be hawked or gleaned.
It builds a compact, cup-shaped nest. 1-2 white eggs are laid and incubated by the female. Both parents feed the young, with assistance from nonbreeding adults or immatures in the group.