Fire-crested Alethe
Alethe castanea
Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe castanea) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe castanea) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 31.5 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 Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Alethe
- Species castanea
Quick facts
- Weight
- 31.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Fire-crested Alethe is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.
Migration
The Fire-crested Alethe is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe castanea) belongs to the Muscicapidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Africa. Its distribution covers AF w, c Africa from Nigeria to Uganda.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 31.5 g, with a wing length of about 9.1 cm and a tail of around 7.6 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 3 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Fire-crested Alethe?
The Fire-crested Alethe is a small bird that weighs around 31.5 g.
Where does the Fire-crested Alethe live?
The Fire-crested Alethe is found across Africa with a range covering AF w, c Africa from Nigeria to Uganda, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Fire-crested Alethe belong to?
The Fire-crested Alethe (Alethe castanea) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Fire-crested Alethe eat?
The Fire-crested Alethe is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Fire-crested Alethe migrate?
The Fire-crested Alethe is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Fire-crested Alethe 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 Fire-crested Alethe make?
1 real field recording of the Fire-crested Alethe — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Fire-crested Alethe's range?
The Fire-crested Alethe has a mapped global range of about 3 million 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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Guides for this bird
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How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.
Meet the Muscicapidae
A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.