Updated
Cassin’s grey flycatcher is a small, neat grey flycatcher with white around the eye and a pale throat, almost always found along forest streams and rivers. It perches on rocks, logs and low branches over the water, flicking its wings and sallying out to catch insects. In Uganda it occurs in western and central forests, including Kibale, Bwindi, Budongo and Mabira.
Habits
This flycatcher is closely tied to running water inside or at the edge of forest. It hunts flying insects in short flights from a perch and returns to the same spots again and again, so once found it is easy to watch. Pairs nest in holes or crevices in banks, trees or rocks near the stream. Its plain plumage makes it less famous than forest specialists, but it is a reliable sighting.
Telling it apart
Several grey or brown flycatchers live in Uganda’s forests. Cassin’s grey flycatcher is cleaner grey above and paler below than the African dusky flycatcher, and its habit of sitting low over water is the best clue. The swamp flycatcher is browner and lives around lakes and swamps rather than forest streams.
Where to see it
Look along streams crossed by forest trails in Kibale, the river near Buhoma in Bwindi, and the forest streams of Budongo and Mabira. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to Kibale Forest, Bwindi, Bwindi’s birds and Uganda birding.
Frequently asked questions
Along forest streams in Kibale, Bwindi, Budongo and Mabira.
A clean grey flycatcher that perches low over running water.
Flying insects caught in short sallies.
No. It is fairly common in the right habitat.
