Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher

The Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher is a beautiful forest bird whose plumage combines red on the upper side and light grey on the underside. The male alone sports a dark blue hood, with a light blue eye-ring contrasting with a black iris. The tail is long and rounded at the tip. The beak and the legs are steel blue. The female is duller than the male but has the same range of colors. The cap, earcoverts and the nape are ash-gray. A semicircular steel blue orbital is visible on the lower part of the eye. The chin, throat, chest, stomach and flanks are light grey. The lower abdomen is almost white. The wings are a bright russet with a brown edging on the border of tertiary and secondary remiges. The primaries are almost entirely brown. The tail is as red as the wings. Beak and legs are the same color as the male, steel blue. The juvenile looks like the female. As with many flycatchers, males and females have whiskers around the beak.