Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher

The grey-headed canary-flycatcher is a small bird, 12–13cm long, with a square-crested grey head, a canary-yellow belly and yellowish-green upperparts. Its very flat bill, which looks like an equilateral triangle from above, is fringed with long bristles. It sits very upright, and the sexes look alike. Populations differ slightly in shade and size. It is no longer placed with the Old World flycatchers but in the fairy flycatcher family (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives mainly in forest, where it often joins mixed-species flocks, and pairs are often seen foraging for insects in short flycatcher-like sallies while calling loudly. Several subspecies are recognised across its wide range in tropical Asia, including a Himalayan form that migrates south in winter. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident in India with movements within the country and a large range, estimates a long-term decline of about 56%, and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).