The Angola slaty flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Dioptrornis instead of Melaenornis. As suggested by its common name, it is endemic to Angola.
Region
Western and central Angola
Typical Environment
The Angola slaty flycatcher is associated with Afromontane and escarpment forests, forest edges, gallery woodland, and dense secondary growth. It also occurs in shaded plantations and riparian thickets where canopy cover remains. Birds often work through mid-storey tangles and along forest margins rather than open areas. It tolerates some habitat modification so long as dense shrub layers persist.
Altitude Range
800–2300 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Endemic to Angola, this small flycatcher is usually placed in the genus Melaenornis, though some authorities have used Dioptrornis. It favors forest edges and understorey where it perches quietly and makes short sallies to catch insects. Its steady tail-flicking and preference for shady thickets make it easy to overlook. By consuming a variety of arthropods, it plays a useful role in local pest control.
Temperament
quiet and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from a perch
Social Behavior
Typically found singly or in pairs, maintaining small territories within suitable thickets. Pairs likely remain together through breeding, building a small cup nest concealed in dense vegetation. They may join mixed-species foraging flocks along forest edges outside the breeding season.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Soft, simple whistles and thin tsee notes delivered from a shaded perch. Calls are subdued and repetitive, making the bird easier to hear than to see in dense cover.
Plumage
Mostly uniform slaty-gray with a slightly paler throat and belly; wings lack obvious bars and the tail is dark and slightly graduated. Females can appear a touch browner or duskier than males.
Diet
Primarily takes small flying and foliage-dwelling insects such as flies, beetles, caterpillars, and ants. It also snaps up spiders and other arthropods. Foraging is mostly by short sallies from low to mid-level perches and by gleaning from leaves and twigs. Occasional ingestion of tiny berries may occur, but insects dominate.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, in understorey thickets, and in shaded plantations or riparian strips where insect activity is high. Often chooses semi-open gaps within dense cover for sallying.
