Identifying Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica

Our flycatchers here are usually passage migrants, like the newly arrived adult Amur Paradise Flycatcher today in HKWP, a species Wing Tung and I saw in Tai Po Kau in late summer when we visited there together for first time. However, we still have some wintering flycatchers, the Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica is no doubt the commonest one.

Identifying an Asian Brown Flycatcher from the other two common Muscicapa flycatchers - Dark-sided (or called Siberian if split) Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica and Grey-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta is usually easy but can be challenging in bad angle or light.

First for Grey-streaked, the underpart is usually very well-defined streaked and it shows the longest wing and so primary projection among the three. For Siberian, the underpart is more diffusely streaked or sometiems spotted, created a dirty look. The primary projection of Siberian Flycatcher is shorter than Grey-streaked but longer than Asian Brown, also showing a small, short bill. More, in fall in HK, we can still see the Siberian shows retained juvenile plumage (very spotted look) while very rare for the other two. For the last one, Asian Brown Flycatcher, always shows dirty underpart only (rarely clear streaking / spotted unless in juvenile plumage) and white lore, giving a rather ‘big eye look’, the base of lower mandible is also very broad and wing is much shorter when compare to the other two.

The following is a first winter Asian Brown Flycatcher, note the clear whitish tips to greater coverts and tertials help telling the age.

a first winter Asian Brown Flycatcher, taken in HK International Airport with Tung

There are other Muscicapa flycatchers in HK, the Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui, can be easily separated from other by its pinkish legs; and Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea, shows a completely different plumage.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata is also a possibility, especially a first year vagrant in autumn (like the case as Red-backed Shrike). Spotted Flycatcher looks like a Grey-streaked Flycatcher in appearance but shows much more streaked forehead, less rounded head, shorter wing, weaker eyering and diffusely streaked breast..