Muscicapidae Old World Flycatchers

The Old World flycatchers at the core of this group are upright-postured birds, a surprising number of which catch their prey by gleaning or pouncing on insects on the ground as well as sallying into mid-air. Although some have the dorso-ventrally flattened bills that we associate with flycatching in other flycatchers, most do not. Many species in this family come in the form of plucky little ground birds, most of which are lighter of build and more delicately proportioned in the legs than are the Turdidae. Scattered across this group of largely earthtoned or black-and-white birds are species representing the entire spectrum of blue plumages, from a pale teal to the most intense iridescent sapphire.