Nicobar jungle flycatcher

The Nicobar jungle flycatcher is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It was at one time considered a subspecies of the brown-chested jungle flycatcher.

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Distribution

Region

Nicobar Islands, eastern Indian Ocean

Typical Environment

Occurs in subtropical to tropical moist lowland evergreen forests and mangrove forests across the Nicobar archipelago. Prefers dense, shaded understory with abundant leaf litter and fallen logs for gleaning arthropods. Often keeps close to streams, swampy thickets, and forest edges within intact lowland tracts. It avoids highly degraded habitats and open areas, making continuous canopy and understory structure important for its presence.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 600 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size13–15 cm

Wing Span20–24 cm

Male Weight0.012 kg

Female Weight0.011 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

This elusive understory flycatcher is confined to India’s Nicobar Islands and was formerly treated as a subspecies of the brown-chested jungle flycatcher. It keeps to dim forest interiors and mangroves, where it sallies from low perches to snatch insects. Its restricted range makes it sensitive to habitat loss and severe weather events. Quiet and retiring, it is more often detected by its thin, whistled song than seen.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

shy and skulking

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from low perches

Social Behavior

Typically solitary or in pairs within territories in the forest understory. Nests are presumed cup-shaped and placed low in dense vegetation, similar to close relatives. Breeding behavior is discreet, with both adults staying close to cover. Outside the breeding season it may accompany mixed-species understory flocks but remains unobtrusive.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A thin, high, whistled series of notes delivered from concealed perches. Calls include soft ticks and short, sibilant phrases that can be hard to localize in dense foliage.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Nicobar megapode

The Nicobar megapode or Nicobar scrubfowl is a megapode found in some of the Nicobar Islands (India). Like other megapode relatives, it builds a large mound nest with soil and vegetation, with the eggs hatched by the heat produced by decomposition. Newly hatched chicks climb out of the loose soil of the mound and being fully feathered are capable of flight. The Nicobar Islands are on the edge of the distribution of megapodes, well separated from the nearest ranges of other megapode species. Being restricted to small islands and threatened by hunting, the species is vulnerable to extinction. The 2004 tsunami is believed to have wiped out populations on some islands and reduced populations on several others.

Nicobar pigeon

The Nicobar pigeon or Nicobar dove is a bird found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, east through the Indonesian Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member of the genus Caloenas alongside the extinct spotted green pigeon and Kanaka pigeon, and is the closest living relative of the extinct dodo and Rodrigues solitaire.

Nicobar sparrowhawk

The Nicobar sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate race which is found on Car Nicobar in the north of the archipelago, and T. b. obsoleta, from Katchal and Camorta in the central part of the Nicobars. A museum specimen originally attributed to this species from the island of Great Nicobar was later found to be a misidentified Besra. This species was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter.

Night parrot

The night parrot is a small parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. It has also been known as porcupine parrot, nocturnal ground parakeet, midnight cockatoo, solitaire, spinifex parrot and night parakeet. It is one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world, with no confirmed sightings of the bird between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. Sightings since 1979 have been extremely rare and the bird's population size is unknown, though based on the paucity of records it is thought to number between 50 and 249 mature individuals, and it is classified by the IUCN as a critically endangered species.