Photo: Tom Tarrant / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher
Elminia albicauda
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) — 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 White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) is a member of the Stenostiridae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 8.3 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 Elminia
- Species albicauda
Quick facts
- Weight
- 8.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Stenostiridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The White-tailed Blue 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 White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) is a species of bird in the Stenostiridae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF w Angola and s DR Congo to s Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 8.3 g, with a wing length of about 6.3 cm and a tail of around 8.2 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 2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is a very small bird that weighs around 8.3 g.
Where does the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher live?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is found across Africa with a range covering AF w Angola and s DR Congo to s Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher belong to?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) belongs to the Stenostiridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher eat?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the White-tailed Blue Flycatcher migrate?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the White-tailed Blue 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 White-tailed Blue Flycatcher make?
1 real field recording of the White-tailed Blue 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 White-tailed Blue Flycatcher's range?
The White-tailed Blue Flycatcher has a mapped global range of about 2 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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