Humblot's flycatcher (''Humblotia flavirostris'') or the Grand Comore flycatcher, is a small
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
belonging to the
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') and north ...
family. It is the
only member of its genus. Humblot's flycatcher is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the island of
Grand Comoro in the
Comoros
The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...
where it inhabits
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
on the slopes of
Mount Karthala
Mount Karthala or Karthola ( ''Al Qirṭālah'') is an active volcano and the highest point of the Comoros at above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore island, the largest island in the ...
.
The scientific name commemorates the
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
naturalist
Léon Humblot.
Description
The upperparts are grey-brown while the underparts are pale with dark streaks. It has a dark crown with pale streaks and the
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Pl ...
and feet are yellow-orange. The bird is long. It is often silent but has a soft trilling call. It differs from ''
Muscicapa
''Muscicapa'' is a genus of passerine birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae, and therein to the typical flycatchers of subfamily Muscicapinae. They are widespread across Europe, Africa and Asia with most species occurri ...
'' and other flycatchers in having plumage with a very soft and fluffy texture, and by having distinctive feathers on the crown that are a modification that represents the beginnings of the formation of a crest.
Ecology
Humblot's flycatcher feeds on
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s which it catches by making short flights from a perch low in a
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...
or
bush. Often, it will feed in groups of two or three. Little is known about its breeding habits; the only known
nest
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold Egg (biology), eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of ...
was a cup built high in a tree which contained at least two young.
[
]
Status
Humblot's flycatcher has a very restricted range and is threatened because of destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...
and degradation of the forest and the spread of introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
such as the strawberry guava
''Psidium cattleyanum'' (World Plants: ''Psidium cattleianum''), commonly known as Cattley guava, strawberry guava or cherry guava, is a small tree ( tall) in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. The species is named in honour of English horticulturis ...
(''Psidium cattleyanum''), which could overwhelm native species, the common myna
The common myna or Indian myna (''Acridotheres tristis''), sometimes spelled mynah, is a bird in the Family (biology), family Sturnidae, native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has ada ...
(''Acridotheres tristis'') and rats which may raid the nests. The population of 10,000-19,000 individuals is decreasing and the species is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
as vulnerable.
References
* BirdLife International (2006)
Species factsheet: Humblotia flavirostris
'. Downloaded from on 27/2/2007
*Ian Sinclair & Olivier Langrand (1998)
Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands
', Struik, Cape Town.
* del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. ...
''. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions. .
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1587380
Humblot's flycatcher
Endemic birds of the Comoros
Grande Comore
Humblot's flycatcher