Skip to main content

Photo: Jason Thompson / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Slaty-backed Flycatcher

Ficedula erithacus

Slaty-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula erithacus) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

See what's near you right now

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula erithacus) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 10 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Passeriformes
  3. Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
  4. Genus Ficedula
  5. Species erithacus

Where it lives

Himalayas to eastern India and southeastern Asia

Quick facts

Weight
10 g
Diet
Omnivores
Family
Muscicapidae
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Behaviour

A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula erithacus) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Himalayas to e India and se Asia.

It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 10 g, with a wing length of about 7 cm and a tail of around 5.5 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 1.6 million km².

Songs & calls

Slaty-backed Flycatcher — Song

Recorded by JJSUN Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Slaty-backed Flycatcher?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is a very small bird that weighs around 10 g.

Where does the Slaty-backed Flycatcher live?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Himalayas to e India and se Asia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Slaty-backed Flycatcher belong to?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher (Ficedula erithacus) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.

What does the Slaty-backed Flycatcher eat?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Does the Slaty-backed Flycatcher migrate?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Slaty-backed 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 Slaty-backed Flycatcher make?

1 real field recording of the Slaty-backed Flycatcher — 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 Slaty-backed Flycatcher's range?

The Slaty-backed Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 1.6 million km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

Explore more birds

More in Muscicapidae

More in Songbirds

Guides for this bird

Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds

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.

4 min read

Meet the Muscicapidae

A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.

1 min read

Back to top