All Flycatcher species are well known for their aerial pursuit of insect and spider prey. This was certainly my experience, and until a recent encounter with a Restless Flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta), I did not realise that they also forage on the ground.
The bird in question was actively working the mid story to the canopy of the bushland until it moved to lower shrubs beside the track I was on, and then dropped to the ground where it walked about examining a number of ant nests. It then picked up an object from beside a nest which it held for a few seconds before flying with the object up into a small shrubby tree beside the track. I lost sight of the bird shortly after, so I can’t say what it did with this object.
After processing the photos later, I could not determine if the object was food or not – see photos below. I am inclined to think it was not, however I am intrigued to think Restless Flycatchers may include in their diet food items collected and discarded by ants.
HANZAB, the encyclopaedic Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, now available online, provides information on Restless Flycatcher foraging, including this snippet:
Doubtfully, claimed they steal food from ants, hovering above ants carrying food back to their nests, then pounce to take food from them (Bright 1935).
While solid evidence is required, it seems possible to me that some birds, when food resources are scarce, may learn to steal insect food items from ants. Flycatchers certainly have the physical ability to do this easily.
HANZAB provides data for Restless Flycatcher foraging, which in general terms indicates they forage on the ground at least 25% of the time. The rest of the time foraging is on the wing, using both hovering and sallying.
NOTE: You can left click on any photo to open a slide show of the photos free of text or a right click enables one photo at a time to be opened in a New Tab where an enlarged version can be viewed.
This link to an earlier Avithera post shows photos and information for a number of the Myiagra flycatchers.
https://avithera.blogspot.com/2015/04/flycatchers.html
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