Ussher's flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau east through Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and into southern Nigeria. Prefers lowland evergreen and moist semi-deciduous forests, including forest edges and clearings. Frequently uses secondary growth and shaded agroforestry such as cocoa or coffee plantations near intact forest. Typically keeps to the midstory and lower canopy, descending to lower levels along streams and edges.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for the British administrator Herbert Taylor Ussher, this small forest flycatcher is often overlooked because it perches quietly in shaded interiors. It forages by sallying out to snatch insects, then returning to the same perch. Subtle tail flicks and short, quiet calls often betray its presence.
Temperament
unobtrusive and quiet
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from a perch
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Builds a small cup nest placed on a branch or fork in the forest. Both parents are believed to care for the young. Often maintains a small feeding territory within suitable forest patches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is soft and high-pitched, consisting of thin, sibilant notes and short twittering phrases. Calls are subtle 'tsip' or 'tsee' notes given from shaded perches.
Plumage
Plain, smooth-looking plumage with dull brown-olive upperparts and paler grayish to buff underparts; throat often slightly paler. Minimal patterning, sometimes with a faint eye ring and subtle, diffuse breast shading.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small flying insects such as flies, beetles, and moths. Hunts by sallying from a shaded perch and occasionally by gleaning from nearby foliage. Frequently returns to favored perches to watch for passing prey. May supplement with small arthropods taken from leaves and twigs.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the midstory and lower canopy of humid forests, along edges, and near gaps. Also uses lightly disturbed secondary growth and shaded plantations adjacent to forest.
