Photo: Tisha Mukherjee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Sapphire Flycatcher
Ficedula sapphira
Sapphire Flycatcher (Ficedula sapphira) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Sapphire Flycatcher (Ficedula sapphira) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 7.8 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 Ficedula
- Species sapphira
Quick facts
- Weight
- 7.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Sapphire Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Sapphire Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Sapphire Flycatcher (Ficedula sapphira) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Himalayas to c China and c Laos.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 7.8 g, with a wing length of about 6 cm and a tail of around 4.9 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 1.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Sapphire Flycatcher?
The Sapphire Flycatcher is a very small bird that weighs around 7.8 g.
Where does the Sapphire Flycatcher live?
The Sapphire Flycatcher is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Himalayas to c China and c Laos, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Sapphire Flycatcher belong to?
The Sapphire Flycatcher (Ficedula sapphira) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Sapphire Flycatcher eat?
The Sapphire Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Sapphire Flycatcher migrate?
The Sapphire Flycatcher is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Sapphire 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 Sapphire Flycatcher make?
1 real field recording of the Sapphire 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 Sapphire Flycatcher's range?
The Sapphire Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 1.4 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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A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.