Fraseria Explained

Fraseria is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxonomy

The genus Fraseria was introduced in 1854 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte to accommodate Fraser's forest flycatcher.^{[1] [2]} The genus name was chosen to honour the English natural history dealer and collector Louis Fraser.^[3]

The genus formerly include just two species, Fraser's forest flycatcher and the white-browed forest flycatcher, but based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2023, the genus was broadened to include other species.^{[4] [5]}

The genus contains the following eight species:^[5]

• White-browed forest flycatcher, Fraseria cinerascens
• Fraser's forest flycatcher, Fraseria ocreata
• Grey-throated tit-flycatcher, Fraseria griseigularis (formerly placed in Myioparus)
• Grey tit-flycatcher, Fraseria plumbea (formerly placed in Myioparus)
• Olivaceous flycatcher, Fraseria olivascens (formerly placed in Muscicapa)
• Chapin's flycatcher, Fraseria lendu (formerly placed in Muscicapa)
• Ashy flycatcher, Fraseria caerulescens (formerly placed in Muscicapa)
• Tessmann's flycatcher, Fraseria tessmanni (formerly placed in Muscicapa)

Notes and References

1. Bonaparte . Charles Lucien . Charles Lucien Bonaparte . 1854 . Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences . Notes sur les collections rapportées en 1853, par M. A. Delattre, de son voyage en Californie et dans le Nicaragua . 38 . 1–11, 53–67, 258–266, 378–389, 533–541, 650–665 [536, Note] .
2. Book: Mayr . Ernst . Ernst Mayr . Cottrell . G. William . 1986 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 11 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 296–297 .
3. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 163 .
4. Zhao . M. . Gordon Burleigh . J. . Olsson . U. . Alström . P. . Kimball . R.T. . 2023 . A near-complete and time-calibrated phylogeny of the Old World flycatchers, robins and chats (Aves, Muscicapidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 178 . 107646 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107646 . free . 36265831 . 2023MolPE.17807646Z .
5. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . July 2023 . Chats, Old World flycatchers . IOC World Bird List Version 13.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 20 July 2023.