Malagasy paradise flycatcher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malagasy paradise flycatcher |
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| Male white phase Terpsiphone mutata mutata | |
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Terpsiphone
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| Species: |
mutata
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The Malagasy paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata) is a beautiful bird found on the islands of Comoros, Madagascar, and Mayotte. It belongs to the Monarchidae family, which includes many types of flycatchers. These birds love living in warm, dry forests and moist lowland forests.
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About Its Name
The Malagasy paradise flycatcher got its scientific name from famous scientists. In 1766, Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist, gave it the name Muscicapa mutata.
Later, in 1827, another scientist named Constantin Wilhelm Lambert Gloger created a new group, or genus, called Terpsiphone just for paradise flycatchers. The name Terpsiphone comes from ancient Greek words. Terpsi means "delighted in," and phone means "voice." So, it's like "delighted voice." The second part of its name, mutata, is Latin for "changed" or "different." This might refer to the different colors of the males. Another common name for this bird is the Madagascar paradise flycatcher.
Different Kinds of Malagasy Paradise Flycatchers
There are five types, or subspecies, of the Malagasy paradise flycatcher. They look very similar, with only small differences:
- T. m. mutata - Found in Madagascar.
- T. m. pretiosa - Found on Mayotte island.
- T. m. vulpina - Found on Anjouan island.
- T. m. voeltzkowiana - Found on Mohéli island.
- T. m. comorensis - Found on Grand Comore island.
What It Looks Like
The Malagasy paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. It is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long. It weighs around 12.1 and 12.3 g (0.43 and 0.43 oz), which is about as much as a few paper clips.
Male birds have very long tail feathers. These can add another 18 cm (7.1 in) to their length! Females are mostly a reddish-orange color. They have a black head and the back of their neck. Their wing feathers are black with reddish edges. They also have a thin, light blue ring around their eyes.
Where It Lives
This bird is special because it is only found in this part of the world. It lives on Madagascar, Mayotte, and the Comoros islands. You can often find it in almost all types of native forests, from sea level up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft) high. It can also live in other wooded areas, like gardens and tree farms, but it's not as common there.
Behavior
Food and Feeding
Like other birds in its group, the Malagasy paradise flycatcher eats insects. It is an insectivore. It often joins groups of different bird species that hunt together. It acts as a "follower" in these groups. This means it lets other birds scare up insects, and then it swoops in to catch them.
Studies show that it catches more insects when there are more common newtonia birds in the group. If rufous vangas are also in the group, the flycatcher will follow them. This makes the flycatcher hunt closer to the ground than usual.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
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The female bird usually lays three eggs. These eggs are about 0.72–0.76 inches (18–19 mm) long and 0.55–0.57 inches (14 mm) wide. They can be pinkish-white to salmon-pink. They often have brown or lavender spots on the wider end. Sometimes, another bird called the Madagascar cuckoo will lay its eggs in the flycatcher's nest. This is called brood parasitism.
Conservation and Threats
The Malagasy paradise flycatcher is listed as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing. Even though its numbers seem to be slowly going down, it is still common in Madagascar. It also lives in a large area.
Some birds of prey, like Frances's sparrowhawk, yellow-billed kite, and Madagascar harrier-hawk, hunt Malagasy paradise flycatchers. There's even a rare record of a common brown lemur eating a baby flycatcher from its nest. This is unusual because lemurs mostly eat plants.
