A bird in the shadows

On Saturday, I decided to pay another visit to the mango trees on which I'd seen the Fantail. Armed with binoculars this time, I could see some of the more common birds. There was a Common Tailorbird, some Red-Whiskered Bulbuls, a Common Iora, etc. There was also another bird, a shy one, that seemed to hover on the lowest branch on one of the smaller mango trees.

I couldn't make out what it was. Indeed, for most of the time it was partially covered by foliage. A tiny bird, smaller than a sparrow, that wasn't exactly too active. It dropped down into the grass a couple of times, only to settle back on its branch. I could barely make out a buffish colour on its back, and after quite a lot of eye-straining could make out that it had dark coloured legs. I still couldn't see its face...it was facing the other way!

Then suddenly it turned towards me. And I could see a beautiful smear of pale orange on its throat. It was as if the bird was blushing! The colour was so appealing, and yet not bright or gaudy. I'd never seen this bird before!

When it hopped or flew to a nearby twig, I could see its small tail that forked out into a kind of inverted heart, i.e. into two lobes, thus showing a black and white composition. It stayed in the area for about 10 minutes, and finally flew away. Quite excited, I returned home and began a search through Grimmett. Initially, I thought it was a Northern Wheatear. But a check of its habitat and range quickly eliminated the possibility. Also, this bird didn't have a white rump like the Wheatear.

Then I saw a picture of a Red-Throated Flycatcher in Grimmett, which looked quite like the bird I'd seen. The habitat and range was a match too! Still a little unsure, I called up Adesh to see what his opinion was. A description of the pale orange throat and its habits was enough to confirm the sighting. It was a Red-Throated Flycather! A lifer!

Some facts about the bird
The bird is a winter migrant found over most of the subcontinent. Being a Flycatcher, it feeds mainly on small insects. It is now considered a seperate species from the Red-Breasted Flycatcher which has a deep orange upper chest in addition to the throat.