Hemipus
Flycatcher-shrike
Genus of birds
The flycatcher-shrikes are two species of small Asian passerine bird belonging to the genus Hemipus. They are now usually placed in the Vangidae.
| Flycatcher-shrike | |
|---|---|
| Black-winged flycatcher-shrike (H. hirundinaceus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Vangidae |
| Genus: | Hemipus Hodgson, 1844 |
| Type species | |
| Hemipus picaecolor[1] Hodgson, 1844 | |
| Species | |
They are 12.5 to 14.5 cm (4.9 to 5.7 in) in length.[2] They are slender birds with fairly long wings and tails. The bill and feet are black.[3] The plumage is dark above and pale below with white on the rump. The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike has a large white patch on the wing which the black-winged flycatcher-shrike lacks.[2]
They are found in broad-leaved forest, forest edge and secondary forest in southern Asia. Both species have large ranges and are not considered to be threatened. The bar-winged flycatcher-shrike occurs in the Indian Subcontinent, south-west China, mainland South-east Asia and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.[2] The black-winged flycatcher-shrike is found in the Malay Peninsula and on Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali.[3]
They forage actively in the forest canopy for insects. They are often found in groups and frequently join mixed-species foraging flocks.[3] They will also catch insects in flight.[4]
The nest is cup-shaped and built on a tree branch. Two or three eggs are laid; they are greenish or pinkish with darker markings.[2] Both parents are involved in building the nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the young.[4]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemipus hirundinaceus | Black-winged flycatcher-shrike | Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali. | |
| Hemipus picatus | Bar-winged flycatcher-shrike | Western Ghats of India | |
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The two shrike-flycatcher species of Africa are also occasionally known as flycatcher-shrikes:
- Crested flycatcher-shrike: see black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (Bias musicus)
- Red-eyed flycatcher-shrike: see African shrike-flycatcher (Megabyas flammulatus)
- "Vangidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- Robson, Craig (2002) A Field Guide to the Birds of South-east Asia, New Holland, London.
- MacKinnon, John & Phillipps, Karen (1993) A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Perrins, Christopher, ed. (2004) The New Encyclopedia of Birds, Oxford University Press, Oxford.