The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family comprising 318 species of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. Many of the species are not called flycatcher - robins, shamas, palm-thrushes, akalats, nightingales, redstarts, forktails, stonechats, chats and wheatears.

The appearance of these birds is very varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls. They are small to medium birds, ranging from 10 to 21 centimetres in length. Many species are a dull brown in colour, but the plumage of some can be much brighter, especially in the males. Most have broad, flattened, bill, suited to catching insects in flight, although the few ground foraging species typically have finer bills.

Old World flycatchers live in almost every environment with a suitable supply of trees, from dense forest to open scrub, and even the montane woodland of the Himalayas. The more northerly species migrate south in winter, ensuring a continuous diet of insects.