Scientific Name: Hemipus picatus

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike is a small passerine bird found in most wetland forests in Sri Lanka. The head and crest, nape and upperparts, as well as the tail feathers are of a deep black hue, while the underparts and the neck region are composed of pale light coloration. An eye-catching brilliant white sash across the wing, provides a signature external feature of the Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike, a key identifier of this passerine species. The beak of the Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike appears strong, and the upper mandible forms a hook above the lower bill, which can be observed from sideway photographs of the avian species.

Mixed-paired foraging flocks are encountered often for Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrikes, pouncing on airborne flies and other insects in mid-canopy drawing similarities to flycatchers. The etymology of Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike gives due reference to the mid-air fly-grabbing nature of this miniature black and white avifauna species. The Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike is known to inhabit a wide range of forest habitats, distributed across Sri Lanka, South Asia, the Himalayas, South East Asia, Malaya Peninsula and the islands of Indonesia.

The characteristic song of the Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike is composed of bouncy notes that echo through air currents with a melodious sweetness, repeated as “tsilikee-tsilikee-tsilikee!”.

Source: E-Bird

References:

1. https://ebird.org/species/bwfshr1