The Atlas pied flycatcher or Atlas flycatcher is a bird in an Old World flycatcher family, one of the four species of Western Palearctic black-and-white flycatchers; it is endemic as a breeding species to North-west Africa.
Region
Northwest Africa (breeding) and West Africa (wintering)
Typical Environment
Breeds in the Atlas ranges of Morocco, northern Algeria, and locally Tunisia, favoring open montane forests and woodland mosaics. Typical breeding habitats include cedar, pine, and oak stands with a sparse understorey and scattered clearings. During migration it occurs in riparian groves, orchards, and parks. In winter it uses wooded savannas, gallery forests, and edges across the western Sahel into Upper Guinea.
Altitude Range
800–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Atlas pied flycatcher is one of the black-and-white Ficedula flycatchers, breeding only in the Atlas Mountains of Northwest Africa and wintering south of the Sahara. Males show a larger white forehead and wing patch than European Pied Flycatcher, aiding identification. It nests in tree cavities and readily uses nest boxes where available. Like its relatives, it hunts by sallying from exposed perches to snatch flying insects.
Ficedula speculigera - MHNT
Temperament
active and territorial during breeding
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with frequent sallying flights
Social Behavior
A cavity nester in natural holes and nest boxes, it defends compact territories where males sing from exposed perches. Pairs form seasonally; the female incubates, and both parents feed the young. Outside breeding it can join loose mixed flocks during migration and on wintering grounds.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A rich, varied series of clear whistles and brief trills, sometimes with mimicry; contact call is a sharp 'tik' or 'pik'. Males sing persistently early in the season, softening later as nesting progresses.
Plumage
Breeding males are crisp black-and-white with a large white forehead patch and broad white wing patch; females and immatures are brownish-grey above with pale underparts and modest pale wing panels.
Diet
Feeds mainly on flying and arboreal insects such as flies, beetles, moths, caterpillars, and spiders. It hunts by sallying out from a perch to catch prey in the air and by gleaning from foliage and branches. Occasional small berries may be taken in late summer and on migration.
Preferred Environment
Forages from mid-storey and canopy edges in open montane woodland, forest clearings, and along paths and streams. On wintering grounds it uses wooded savannas, gallery forest edges, and cultivated groves.
