The pygmy flycatcher, also known as the pygmy blue-flycatcher, is a bird species of the family Muscicapidae.
Region
Eastern Himalayas to Mainland Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern India through southern China (e.g., Yunnan) into Myanmar, northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. It inhabits subtropical and tropical moist montane forests with dense understory, often in oak-rhododendron and evergreen broadleaf woodland. Birds favor shaded stream gullies, bamboo thickets, and forest edges within intact forest. They typically remain within lower to mid-story strata, using concealed perches to forage.
Altitude Range
900–2700 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the pygmy blue-flycatcher, it is one of the smallest Old World flycatchers and the sole member of the genus Muscicapella. Males show a striking blue-and-orange pattern, while females are modest brown with subtle tones. It often joins mixed-species flocks in montane forests and makes quick sallies for tiny insects from shaded perches.
Temperament
shy and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick darting sallies
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, but commonly associates with mixed-species foraging flocks in forest. Breeding pairs nest in cavities or sheltered crevices, lining nests with fine plant fibers and moss. They defend small territories around suitable foraging and nesting sites.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A soft, high-pitched series of thin whistles and trills, often delivered from a shaded perch. Calls include short, sibilant tsees used to keep contact within dense foliage.
Plumage
Male is bright bluish above with a warm orange throat and upper breast grading to whitish belly; female is olive-brown above with buffy underparts and a faint pale eye-ring. Both sexes have fine, neat plumage with a compact flycatcher silhouette and a relatively large head for the tiny body.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small insects such as flies, beetles, moths, and caterpillars, and will also take tiny spiders. It gleans from leaves and twigs and makes brief flycatching sallies to snatch prey mid-air. Foraging is deliberate but constant, with frequent perch changes within dense cover.
Preferred Environment
Most often forages in shaded lower to mid-story of montane forest, along stream gullies, and within bamboo or rhododendron thickets. It uses concealed perches near clearings or gaps to launch quick sallies.
