Mystery Bird: African Grey Flycatcher, Bradornis microrhynchus

hmmm, with 58 species from the family Muscicapidae, this mat take some work... my first impression is that this is a rather "dull" species that may certainly be "outside the standards of normal decency"...

but with the faint streaks on the crown (really only visible when one enlares this photo) I'm probably sticking to the "dull" genus but calling this the one that prefers drier habitat, and unlike many ostentatious Romans in the Forum, declaring this only from a rather "small rostrum"...

This is a tricky one. Based on a the clean breast and streaked cap I'm going to guess it's an African Grey Flycatcher (Bradornis microrhynchus). I think the lack of streaking or spots on the breast rules out the genus muscicapa and the very similar Pale flycatcher doesn't have a streaked cap.

OK David, I think you nailed this one too- "small rostrum" = microrhynchus? (But I don't get the other clues- "decency" or the Forum!)

LOL Kim, I'm afraid my rather obtuse puns and "academic" clues are probably extremely frustrating for those such as Adrian, John, etc. (and very probably "Annoyed") but my original comment suggested it might be Bradornis pallidus, where Bradornis actually comes from the Greek βÏÎ±Î´á½»Ï ("bradus") meaning "dull" or "slow" and my quip of it being "outside the standrads of normal decency" could be rewritten as "beyond the pale" (pallidus), but when I looked at the enlarged photo and saw the streaked crown, I changed my id, sticking with Bradornis but then adding microryhnchus, the "small rostrum" which plays on the origins of the word "rostrum" which was the sepking platform in the Roman Forum which happened to be decorated with birds' beaks!

So indeed, this is very probably the African Grey Flycatcher (microryhnchus) as opposed to the Pale Flycatcher (pallidus).

So why is this not a Muscicapa - not all of them have mottled, streaked or spotted breasts, or even a spotted crown? Why is this a Bradornis?

So why is this not a Muscicapa - not all of them have mottled, streaked or spotted breasts, or even a spotted crown? Why is this a Bradornis?

Good point, No one...

There are six species from the genus Muscicapa found in Tanzania, of those six: the Spotted (M. striata) has streaking on the breast, as does Boehm's (M. boehmi), and the Sooty (M. infuscata); the Bluegrey (M. caerulescens) is as described, blue above and grey below; the Dusky (M. adusta) seems to have a lot more yellow on the lower mandible but more obviously, also has no streaking on the forehead; and the Swamp (M. aquatica) has a rather obvious dark band across the breast...