Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher (Melaenornis chocolatinus) [XC801823]
by Guilherme Melo from \u1309\u1208\u120c\u1362 (near Goro), North Shewa, Oromia, Ethiopia (call)
Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher (Melaenornis chocolatinus) [XC42283]
by Peter Boesman from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (call)
Subspecies
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis chocolatinus), White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis fischeri) and Angola Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis brunneus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as separate species contra Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include fischeri and brunneus as subspecies of chocolatinus in the genus Melaenornis.
Forms a superspecies with Angola Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis brunneus) and White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis fischeri), and all are sometimes considered conspecific, but degree of difference and distributions suggest that treatment as allospecies is better.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
chocolatinus (Rüppell, 1840) - Central Eritrea (Adi Keyih south to Senafe) and northern and central Ethiopia.
reichenowi (Neumann, 1902) - Western Ethiopia (Wallegha to Gimirra).