Pygmy Flycatcher

Pymgy Flycatcher (Ficedula hodgsoni) is a rare and little-known bird in Thailand. We were uncertain about its seasonal status until a juvenile was photographed at Doi Lang, Chiang Mai on 6 July 2020 confirming that this species is a breeding resident in the north-west. Apart from high mountains in the north, this species has also been recorded in Kaeng Krachan National Park (Phanoen Thung summit) and Hala summit in Yala.

On 28 May 2023, I joined a group of friends in pursuit of the male Pygmy Flycatcher that was seen and photographed few days earlier at Doi Lang (east). I didn’t really have high hope as I know how difficult it can be to find such a tiny bird in the big forest but we were all willing to try our luck. We spent most of our time walking back and forth around the area where the bird was seen earlier. There were lots of other small birds and mixed-species flocks consisted mainly of Fire-breasted Flowerpeckers, Whiskered Yuhinas, Mountain Tailorbirds and even scarcer species like Yellow-browed Tits and Black-eared Shrike-Babblers.

While checking the small birds in the dense canopy, I spotted what appeared to be juvenile male Pygmy Flycatcher. It already had dark bluish wings and upperparts but the head was still mottled brown. Even though I couldn’t get any photo of the bird, it was a good sign that there might be other birds nearby.

We continued our search along the road and finally, while checking another busy flock of tiny birds, one of my friends yelled “Pygmy Flycatcher! A male Pygmy Flycatcher!”. It was quite a hectic moment and no one else got to see the bird before it disappeared into the mist along with tons of flowerpeckers. We didn’t give up and spent a long while trying to relocate the bird. Finally, we did find that particular male Pygmy Flycatcher again! This time, the bird was surprisingly cooperative and we could watch it for over 10 minutes while it was feeding and singing its extremely soft and ethereal song.

The Pygmy Flycatcher has a completely different jizz from any other flycatchers. To me, it actually resembles a flowerpecker more than a flycatcher. It is also about the same size as a flowerpecker but has a distinctly longer tail. It is also generally more hyperactive than other flycatchers, moving quickly from one perch to another. Another unique behaviour of this species is the wing-flicking movement that makes it stand out from other small birds in the same flock.

After our successful twitch, several other groups of birders also visited the site but no one could find it. I made another visit on 4 June 2023 but also failed to locate the same bird. Instead, I came across a different male that behaved differently, being faster and more skittish. It also had more orange on the underparts reaching the entire undertail coverts. I was very happy to see that there are actually quite a few of them in this area. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find more of them on my future visits.