Bates's paradise flycatcher is a passerine bird belonging to the monarch-flycatcher family, Monarchidae. The sexes are similar in appearance with the upper parts being rufous and the head and underparts being bluish-grey. It is native to central Africa where it is found in the understorey of forests.
Region
West-Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in the understorey of lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests, including primary forest and mature secondary growth. Frequently forages along shaded trails, vine tangles, and near streams inside closed-canopy forest. It tolerates selectively logged forest but is most common in intact understorey. Occasionally appears in forest edge or old cacao/coffee plantations adjacent to native forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bates's paradise flycatcher is a monarch-flycatcher of the Central African forest understorey, where it slips through dense foliage with quick sallies for prey. Unlike many paradise flycatchers, the sexes are similar and lack extremely elongated tail streamers. It is often quiet and easily overlooked, but may join mixed-species flocks. The species commemorates the American naturalist George Latimer Bates, who collected extensively in Cameroon.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from low perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs within dense understorey, often keeping close to cover. Will sometimes join mixed-species flocks moving through the lower strata. Builds a small cup nest suspended in a fork or on a thin branch, with both sexes likely involved in incubation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Soft, thin whistles and brief trills delivered from shaded perches, often repeated at intervals. Calls include high, sibilant tseet notes and short twittering phrases that can be hard to locate in dense foliage.
Plumage
Upperparts rufous to chestnut with a contrasting bluish-grey head and bluish-grey underparts; wings slightly darker rufous with subtle dusky edging; tail short and rounded.
Diet
Primarily hunts small flying and crawling insects such as flies, beetles, moths, and caterpillars; also takes spiders and other small arthropods. Captures prey by short sallies from low perches and by gleaning from leaves and vine tangles. Occasionally hawks briefly in small clearings or along stream corridors. Feeding is typically low to mid-understorey, often within a few meters of the ground.
Preferred Environment
Dense, shaded understorey of primary and mature secondary rainforest, particularly along trails, stream edges, and vine thickets. Avoids open habitats but may forage at forest margins if cover is nearby.
