The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia).
Muscicapa comes from the Latin musca meaning a fly, and capere to catch.

Formerly, three families Muscicapidae, Sylviidae (Old World warblers) and Turdidae (thrushes) were placed in the Muscicapidae.
The extended flycatcher family that also included Timaliidae (Old World babblers) and Monarchidae (Monarch flycatchers). 

Later  DNA–DNA hybridization studies found the family should be split into several separate families.