Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Taxonomy and systematics
The velvet flycatcher (M. eichorni), the Dyaul flycatcher (M. cervinicolor), which is endemic to Dyaul Island, the Mussau flycatcher were formerly considered subspecies, but were reclassified as distinct species by the IOC in 2021. The three species were formerly grouped together as the velvet flycatcher under the scientific name M. hebetior.[2]