Chats, Old World Flycatchers

Old World flycatchers, belonging to the family Muscicapidae, are small birds predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with a few species reaching North America. Initially classified by Scottish naturalist John Fleming in 1822, the family's Latin name encapsulates their insect-catching habits, and today includes 352 species across 51 genera. Their appearance is diverse, often presenting in brown or brightly colored plumage, and they have evolved wide, flat bills ideal for aerial insect hunting, though some also forage on the ground. They inhabit a range of woodland and forest environments, with many migrating to warmer areas during winter. Their nesting habits vary from well-constructed cups to simple linings in tree holes, and their clutch sizes differ with an average of eight eggs for hole-nesters. Over time, taxonomic revisions, often influenced by molecular studies, have both expanded and refined the family's composition, with some genera being reclassified or reshuffled, reflecting the dynamic nature of avian taxonomy.

Species Categories

Albatrosses Anhingas, Darters Asities Austral Storm Petrels Barn Owls Bee-eaters Bulbuls Buntings Buttonquail Caracaras, Falcons Chats, Old World Flycatchers Cisticolas & Allies Cormorants, Shags Coursers, Pratincoles Crab-plover Crows, Jays Cuckoo-roller Cuckoos Cuckooshrikes Drongos Ducks, Geese, Swans Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra Finches, Euphonias Flamingos Flufftails Frigatebirds Gannets, Boobies Grassbirds & Allies Grebes Ground Rollers Guineafowl Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Hamerkop Herons, Bitterns Hoopoes Ibises, Spoonbills Indigobirds, Whydahs Jacanas Kingfishers Kites, Hawks, Eagles Larks Laughingthrushes & Allies Leaf Warblers & Allies Mesites Monarchs Nightjars Northern Storm Petrels Old World Parrots Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Ospreys Owls Oystercatchers Painted-snipes Pelicans Penguins Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels Pheasants & Allies Pigeons, Doves Plovers Rails, Crakes & Coots Reed Warblers & Allies Rollers Sandgrouse Sandpipers, Snipes Shrikes Skuas Starlings, Rhabdornis Stilts, Avocets Stone-curlews, Thick-knees Storks Sunbirds Swallows, Martins Swifts Sylviid Babblers Tetrakas & Allies Thrushes Tropicbirds Vangas & Allies Wagtails, Pipits Waxbills, Munias & Allies Weavers, Widowbirds White-eyes

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Helped me to identify more birds

Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.

Abi.M

Awesome App

I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍

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This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.

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