Restless Flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Restless Flycatcher, Myiagra inquieta, is a passerine
bird
in the family Monarchidae.
Also known colloquially as Scissors Grinder or Dishwasher on account of its unusual call, the Restless Flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham
in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin
inquietus 'restless'. Populations from northern Australia and New Guinea, formerly considered a distinctive subspecies, are now separated as the Paperbark Flycatcher
(Myiagra nana), with which it forms a superspecies
.
It is found in southern and eastern Australia
. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long, with a glossy dark blue crown, a grey back and white underparts. It is similar to the Willie Wagtail
, though the lack of a black throat and white eyebrow are distinguishing features. Its main food is insect
s.
This bird builds a cup-shaped nest from shredded bark and grasses, matted and bound with spider-webbing
. Linings used are soft bark, grasses, hair or feathers. It is often decorated with lichen
, strips of bark or spiders' egg sacs. The nest site is in the fork of a well-foliaged tree mostly near or overhanging water, though it can be up to twenty or more metres above the ground.
}}
Cited texts
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the family Monarchidae.
John Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inquietus 'restless'. Populations from northern Australia and New Guinea, formerly considered a distinctive subspecies, are now separated as the Paperbark Flycatcher
Paperbark Flycatcher
The Paperbark Flycatcher , also known as the Little Restless Flycatcher, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. It occurs in tropical woodland and riverine habitats of northern Australia and southern New Guinea...
(Myiagra nana), with which it forms a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
.
It is found in southern and eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long, with a glossy dark blue crown, a grey back and white underparts. It is similar to the Willie Wagtail
Willie Wagtail
The Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
, though the lack of a black throat and white eyebrow are distinguishing features. Its main food is insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
This bird builds a cup-shaped nest from shredded bark and grasses, matted and bound with spider-webbing
Spider web
A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web or cobweb is a device built by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets....
. Linings used are soft bark, grasses, hair or feathers. It is often decorated with lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
, strips of bark or spiders' egg sacs. The nest site is in the fork of a well-foliaged tree mostly near or overhanging water, though it can be up to twenty or more metres above the ground.
Footnotes
References}}
Cited texts
 |
 |
External links
- ABID Images
- Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) videos and photos at Internet Bird Collection