Bird of the Week: Restless Flycatcher 25 September 2020
This is a well named bird, always busy and restless. They make a cute scolding call, that is somehow a bit cheerful. I always think “chewy, chewy, chewy”.
They are seen around Mallacoota and through East Gippsland at all times of year. Most sightings seem to be around the town, parks or farmland, but they like the open bushland as well.
The birds you could confuse them with are other small black-and-white birds like Willie Wagtail, Leaden or Satin Flycatcher, White-winged Triller or Hooded Robin (unlikely). Male White-winged Triller and Hooded Robin always have some white on their wings.
After those two have been eliminated, look for the chin/throat. Restless Flycatcher has a white chin & throat, no matter if it’s adult or immature. Willie Wagtail, Leaden & Satin Flycatcher all have dark or orange chin & throat.
Willie Wagtail has a white eyebrow, a little white malar* stripe and a longer, broader tail. Their head, chin, throat and upper breast are black. They often hop around on the ground with their tail raised. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Restless Flycatcher doing that.
Leaden & Satin Flycatcher are the most similar, and most closely related to Restless Flycatcher. Males of Leaden & Satin have a dark chin, throat and upper breast. Females have an orange chin & throat. Immature and female adult Restless Flycatchers can have an orange tinge to their upper breast, but their chin and throat are white. You can see a handsome female Restless Flycatcher here: https://images.app.goo.gl/Y2WU6BDMmRwTywpH6
Restless Flycatchers are part of the Monarch Flycatcher family Monarchidae, genus Myiagra “satiny or broad-billed flycatchers”. There are 20 species worldwide, 6 of those in Australia, the rest spread across from Palau, the Philippines, Guam, eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, Melanesia & Fiji.
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LISTEN TO THE CALLS:
https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Myiagra-inquieta
Scroll through to see lots of great pics here: https://ebird.org/species/resfly1
Details: Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta. No subspecies, but until recently the Paperbark Flycatcher M nana of the Top End was considered a subspecies. It is very similar to the Restless, but smaller and glossier.
Location: QLD, NSW, VIC, east & south SA, southwest WA
Conservation status: Considered secure in all states where it occurs. Learn about them:
http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/restless-flycatcher
*malar stripe: the malar area is on a bird’s lower cheek, extending from the bill towards the breast.
Mallacoota Birds 