Muscicapidae is a large family of small birds restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, take their prey on the wing. The appearance of these birds is very varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls. They vary 10 to 21 cm. Many species are a dull brown in color. Most have broad, flattened, bill, suited to catching insects in flight, although the few ground foraging species typically have finer bills. They live in almost every environment with a suitable supply of trees, from dense forest to open scrub. The more northerly species migrate south in winter, ensuring a continuous diet of insects. [abstracted from Wikipedia]


Genus Luscinia

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica   Found: North America (rare), Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Photographed by:  1) Yuriy75 - Baikonur, Kazakhstan   2) Daniel_Bastaja  
    3) J M Garg - Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India  4) Hiyashi Haka
1, 2) Male  3, 4) Female  4) L. svecica svecica (Red-spotted Bluethroat



Genus Oenanthe

Wheatear, Northern Oenanthe oenanthe   Found: North America (rare), Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by:  1) Philippe Kurlapski  2 Dick Daniels - Scotland