About Melaenornis pammelaina (Stanley, 1814)
The southern black flycatcher, scientifically named Melaenornis pammelaina (Stanley, 1814), is entirely black, with a black beak and black legs. It has a brown eye iris and a square-cut tail. These two traits help distinguish it from the similar-looking fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), which has a red iris and a long forked tail. This species is native to eastern and southern Africa. It has been recorded in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa. It typically inhabits areas with open spaces and light woodland, riparian corridors, plantation edges, and gardens. Common tree species found in its habitats include miombo (Brachystegia spp.), thorntrees (Acacia spp.), and mopane (Colosphermum mopane).
