White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher

Melaenornis fischeri

Other Names

Dioptrornis fischeri   Slaty Flycatcher   Gobemouche de Fischer, Gobemouche drongo de Fischer   Bergdrongoschäpper     Skiffergrå flugsnappare      

World: African highlands from Ethiopia through East Afica to eastern Zaire and Malawi.

Kenya: Mostly absent from the East and the North. A highland bird that is common in wooded habitats including gardens.

This is a very distinctive bird normally seen singly or in pairs. They can be spotted either hawking for insects or taking them from the ground. They perch conspicuously with an upright pose on branches, stumps, signposts and, as above, the arms of chairs! They are not easily deterred from feeding, at Lake Naivasha in 2001 we watched 2 birds hawking for insects during a tropical storm. They appeared to be completely unconcerned about the lashing rain and the fact that every other bird and animal (including humans) had dived for cover.