Paperbark Flycatcher

1. Glossy black above and bright white below, with a clear division between colours.

2. Smaller and with a shorter, broader bill than the Restless Flycatcher.

3. Frequently seen hovering low over water or ground and sweeping its tail side to side.

Paperbark Flycatchers are insectivorous, feeding mainly on insects and other arthropods, which they catch by hovering and making short, agile flights. They are often seen alone or in pairs, displaying restless tail-sweeping behaviour. The breeding season in northern Australia runs from November to January. Nests are neat cups made from bark shreds and grass stems, usually placed in the fork of a dead shrub near water. The species lays a single whitish egg with reddish-brown and grey spots.

Paperbark Flycatchers are found across northern Australia, from the Kimberley region in Western Australia, through the Top End of the Northern Territory, to the Gulf Country and southwestern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. They also inhabit southern New Guinea. Preferred habitats include tropical eucalypt woodlands, paperbark (Melaleuca) woodlands, riverine forests, billabongs, and floodplains with tall grasses and sedges. They are most often seen near water, foraging close to the ground or just above the water’s surface.