Bird of the Month: Leaden Flycatcher

The bird of the month is the Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula), a passerine species occurring across eastern and northern Australia.

This small insectivore is found in a wide range of forested habitats, and can be occasionally seen in the Illawarra, particularly along areas of the escarpment. They have a very distinctive buzzing call, and will often feed around the upper canopy, flicking their tail as they call.

The sexes are easy to tell apart. Males display blue-grey reflective plumage over the whole head, while females have a bronzy-orange throat.

I photographed this male along the Number 10 Fire Trail in Darkes Forest, where it occasionally ducked down to the lower vegetation chasing falling insects.