Spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata tyrrhenica breeding in Malta

Abstract

The Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata is polytypic with the nominate race striata occurring in Europe with the exception of Corsica, Sardinia and the Balkans, and spreads east across the Ural Mountains. On the islands of Crete and Cyprus along with the Levant east to the Caucasus one finds the race neumanni. The race inexpectata occurs in the Crimea while the race balearica is confined to the Balearics. The race sarudnyi occurs in Transcaspia and eastern Iran east to the Himalayas while the race mongola occurs in the south-east Altai, east through northern Mongolia. The race tyrrhenica occurs on Sardinia and Corsica (Cramp & Perrins 1993). Apart from Corsica and Sardinia tyrrhenica also occurs in the Tuscany archipelago, and presumably along the Tyrrhenian coast of mainland Italy and on the island of Ischia (Brichetti & Fracasso 2008). Iapichino and Massa (1989) gives only the nominate as occurring in Sicily, but Corso (2005) reports that some individuals approaching tyrrhenica are seen along the western side of the island (Trapani, Mt. Cofano, Zingaro and on Pantelleria), but also claiming that some of these may belong to the race neumanni.