Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Taxobox
name = Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

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image_width = 250px
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Stenostiridae
genus = " Culicicapa "
species = "C. ceylonensis"
binomial = "Culicicapa ceylonensis"
binomial_authority = (Swainson, 1820)

The Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, "Culicicapa ceylonensis", is a small passerine bird. Formerly placed in the "Old World flycatcher" family Muscicapidae, it is now considered part of the Stenostiridae. These are "warblers" closely related to titmice and chickadees, Paridae (Beresford et al. 2005, Barker et al. 2004).

The Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher is 13cm long. It is an upright long-tailed flycatcher. The adult has a grey head and breast, green upperparts and bright yellow underparts.

This is an insectivorous species which breeds in tropical southern Asia from Pakistan, Central India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia. Many populations are resident, but Himalayan birds migrate short distances to lower altitudes. They are also found as winter migrants in the Western Ghats and parts of southern India. [Kazmierczak, K. 2000. A field guide to the birds of India. Pica Press.]

The Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher breeds in hill forests and other wooded areas. It nests on a rock ledge or in a tree trunk and lays three or four eggs.

References

* Barker, F. Keith; Cibois, Alice; Schikler, Peter A.; Feinstein, Julie & Cracraft, Joel (2004): Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation. "PNAS" 101(30): 11040-11045. doi|10.1073/pnas.0401892101 [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0401892101v1.pdf PDF fulltext] [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0401892101/DC1 Supporting information]

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* Beresford, P.; Barker, F.K.; Ryan, P.G. & Crowe, T.M. (2005): African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas'. "Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B" 272(1565): 849–858. DOI|10.1098/rspb.2004.2997 [http://www.tc.umn.edu/~barke042/pdfs/Beresford.et.al05.pdf PDF fulltext] [http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/media/public/contributionsupplementalmaterials/h/y/b/7/hyb7fme16147k0d3/archive1.pdf Electronic appendix]

* Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): "Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives". Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6

External links

* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=6573&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]