Photo: Alan Manson / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Fairy Flycatcher
Stenostira scita
Fairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found on 1 guide in our atlas — open it for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Fairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita) is a member of the Stenostiridae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 5.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Stenostiridae Fairy Flycatchers
- Genus Stenostira
- Species scita
Quick facts
- Weight
- 5.9 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Stenostiridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Fairy Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Fairy Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Fairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita) belongs to the Stenostiridae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF s.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 5.9 g, with a wing length of about 5.4 cm and a tail of around 5.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 272,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Fairy Flycatcher?
The Fairy Flycatcher is a very small bird that weighs around 5.9 g.
Where does the Fairy Flycatcher live?
The Fairy Flycatcher is found across Africa with a range covering AF s, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Fairy Flycatcher belong to?
The Fairy Flycatcher (Stenostira scita) belongs to the Stenostiridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Fairy Flycatcher eat?
The Fairy Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Fairy Flycatcher migrate?
The Fairy Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Fairy Flycatcher endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Fairy Flycatcher make?
1 real field recording of the Fairy Flycatcher — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Fairy Flycatcher's range?
The Fairy Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 272,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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