birding-aus

Satin vs Leaden Flycatcher ID

To: "Arwen B. Ximenes" <>, <>
Subject: Satin vs Leaden Flycatcher ID
From: Carol Probets <>
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:56:25 +1100
Hi Arwen,

Re the flycatcher, Leaden would be more likely at Lawson although both are possible during migration. The difficulties of separating the females of these two species have been discussed on Birding-Aus in the past. In short, they are extremely difficult to tell apart and the field guides are no help at all. To quote from a posting I made in March 2005:

"Ahh, the perennial Leaden vs. Satin question! There was an excellent article on this by Graeme Chapman in the June 2003 Wingspan. It all seems to boil down to the fact that the female Satin has a bluish sheen on the crown, which the Leaden doesn't have. None of the other features, e.g. amount of rufous on the breast, are reliable and in fact the various field guides seem to contradict each other on some points. However, the female Satin does also tend to be darker on the throat and back than the Leaden."

The calls are also very similar. You'll find more in the archives.

Cheers,

Carol



At 2:20 PM +1100 22/2/08, Arwen B. Ximenes wrote:
Dear Birders,

Both observations were made in Lawson in the mid-Blue Mountains west of Sydney, altitude approx. 730m.

Firstly to the Flycatcher: last Saturday (16th Feb) we were walking along the firetrail off San Jose Ave (which follows a bit of a ridge for a bit) when we saw a flash of movement - we initially thought we saw a spinebill flitting from one tree to another, but when we saw it perched for a brief moment it was very clear it wasn't a spinebill! Of course I didn't have my field guide with me so I tried to remember all the features as well as I could, though I'm still learning this skill. Even with my limited knowledge I realized it had to be a flycatcher and so when I got home I looked it up and indeed it looked very close to the female Satin Flycatcher - but then I realized the Leaden Flycatcher looks very similar, and I had to admit that given the light conditions at the time I can't say for sure if the head was the darker colour of the Satin Flycatcher. Any tips for helping me rule out leaden? I imagine I'll just have to leave a question mark and hope I see another one, but perhaps locals can comment on which species might be more likely? Actually there were 2-3 females darting from tree to tree - no males, and no crest erecting was observed and I can't remember the call clearly enough, though I think it was a bit raspy and actually reminded me a little of the Sacred Kingfisher's raspy call (no camera, so I couldn't record the call...). One difference from the field guide: the underparts were more buff coloured than white. They made little flourishes with their tails reminiscent of a fantail. Actually quite a spectacular bird to watch - and it seems odd the females are more brightly coloured than the males.

cheers,
arwen


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