About Microhierax fringillarius (Drapiez, 1824)
Microhierax fringillarius (Drapiez, 1824) is a very small shrike-like falcon that often holds its squarish tail spread open. The adult male has glossy black plumage on its upper body, with a white forehead streak that curves around its black cheeks. Its throat is white or washed with rufous, its breast is white, and the coloration gradually shifts to rufous on its abdomen. Its thighs, flanks, cere, and legs are all black. When in flight, the undersides of the male's wings are white, with black barring on the primary and secondary flight feathers, and light streaking on the underwing coverts. The male's black tail has three distinct white bars on its underside. The adult female is almost identical to the adult male, except for having a longer tail. Juveniles resemble adult birds, but the white areas on the head are rufous instead. This species produces a hard, high-pitched cry called shiew, and a fast repeated call kli-kli-kli-kli. Its typical habitat includes forest, forest edges, and open wooded areas. It is also frequently found near human agricultural land, villages, and active slash-and-burn forest clearing sites, most often close to rivers, streams, and paddy fields. Most populations of this falcon live at elevations below 1,500 meters. This tiny falconet feeds mainly on insects, including moths, butterflies, dragonflies, alate termites, and cicadas; it occasionally eats small birds and lizards. Feeding behavior is often social, and feeding groups of up to ten individuals have been recorded. Most prey is caught during quick flights launched from a perched position.
