18 August 2018

African Paradise Flycatcher - Tanoumah

The African Paradise Flycatcher is an uncommon breeding resident in the Tihamah, Southern Red Sea and wadi bottoms of the Asir as well as the high mountains of the Asir. Most records come from the well watched Abha and Tanoumah areas where birds build a small nest in the fork of a tree and normally lay three eggs. The female does most of the incubating but the male is always in attendance and does some of the work. The young constantly call to the adults and the adults feed the young very frequently with insects. On one day the male is the main food provider but the next day the female does most of the food collecting and feeding. The birds frequent tall juniper trees and prefer good stands of trees and vegetation to the more open areas. Birds are not easy to see in Saudi Arabia so seeing up to six birds in a day, in the Tanoumah area in summer, made for an exciting find.
African Paradise Flycatcher

African Paradise Flycatcher

African Paradise Flycatcher