Melaenornis is a genus of small passerine birds in the large family Muscicapidae commonly known as the Old World flycatchers. They are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy The genus Melaenornis was introduced in 1840 by the English zoologist George Gray. It was a replacement name for Melasoma that had been introduced in 1837 by William Swainson with the northern black flycatcher as the type species. Melasoma was pre-occupied by "Melasoma Dillwyn" that had been introduced in 1831 by James Stephens for a genus of insects. The name Melaenornis combines the Ancient Greek melas, melaina meaning "black" with ornis meaning "bird".
Species The genus contains the following seven species:
Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Angola slaty flycatcher Melaenornis brunneus Angola White-eyed slaty flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri eastern Afromontane Abyssinian slaty flycatcher Melaenornis chocolatinus Ethiopian Highlands Nimba flycatcher Melaenornis annamarulae Western Guinean lowland forests Yellow-eyed black flycatcher Melaenornis ardesiacus Albertine Rift montane forests Northern black flycatcher Melaenornis edolioides northern Sub-Saharan Africa Southern black flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina southern Sub-Saharan Africa
This genus formerly included fewer species. The results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 led to a reorganization of the Old World flycatchers family in which the four species in Bradornis and the single species in Sigelus were merged into Melaenornis. The genus formerly included the pale flycatcher and the chat flycatcher. Based on a phylogenetic study published in 2023, they were moved to the resurrected genus Agricola.
References
Further reading Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions. .