Bird Album
Fairy Flycatcher
Stenostira scita (Vieillot, 1818)
11–12 cmLength5.9 gWeight
The fairy flycatcher or fairy warbler (Stenostira scita) is a small passerine bird.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho
Where and when it's recorded
Fairy Flycatcher has been recorded at 30 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Karoo NPSouth Africa191 records
- Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa118 records
- Sani Pass (LS) to Black MountainsLesotho108 records
More places
- Sani PassLesotho92 records
- Benfontein NRSouth Africa74 records
- Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa67 records
- Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa40 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa39 records
- Black Mountains – WestLesotho36 records
- Black Mountains – EastLesotho31 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The fairy flycatcher or fairy warbler (Stenostira scita) is a small passerine bird. Formerly placed in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae, it is now separated with some other "odd flycatchers" as the new family Stenostiridae (Beresford et al. 2005, Fuchs et al. 2006). It is the only member of the genus Stenostira.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Fairy Flycatcher?
The Fairy Flycatcher is about 11–12 cm long and weighs around 5.9 g.
Where does the Fairy Flycatcher live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa and Lesotho.
When is the best time to see the Fairy Flycatcher?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Fairy Flycatcher endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Fairy Flycatcher as Least Concern.
What does the Fairy Flycatcher eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Fairy Flycatcher in?
It belongs to the family Fairy Flycatchers (Stenostiridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 11–12 cm
- Weight
- 5.9 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 54 mm
- Tail
- 56 mm
- Bill
- 12 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Fairy Flycatchers Stenostiridae
- Genus
- Stenostira
More from the family Fairy Flycatchers
Yellow-bellied FantailChelidorhynx hypoxanthus
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcherCulicicapa ceylonensis
Citrine Canary-flycatcherCulicicapa helianthea
African Blue FlycatcherElminia longicauda
White-tailed Blue FlycatcherElminia albicauda
Dusky Crested FlycatcherElminia nigromitrata
White-bellied Crested FlycatcherElminia albiventris
White-tailed Crested FlycatcherElminia albonotata
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by John Gale. ↗
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