Bird Guide

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

Hemipus picatus

Least ConcernInvertebratesShrublandCup nestTiny · 9 g

About the Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike is a small passerine bird usually placed in the Vangidae. It is found in the forests of tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas and hills of southern India to Indonesia. Mainly insectivorous it is found hunting in the mid-canopy of forests, often joining mixed-species foraging flocks. They perch upright and have a distinctive pattern of black and white, males being more shiny black than the females. In some populations the colour of the back is brownish while others have a dark wash on the underside.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike is black capped with black wings that contrast with the white of the body. A white slash across the wing and a white rump stand out in contrast. They sit upright on branches, flying around to glean insects. The nostril is hidden by hairs and the upper mandible of the beak has a curved tip. Males are velvety black while females tend to be greyish brown but the pattern varies across the geographic populations. Both males and females of the Himalayan H. p. capitalis have a brown back but the males have a black head.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike lives

Regular range

When to see the Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike

Peak activity in February · a variable species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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