Fantails are small insectivorous
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s of southern
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
belonging to the
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
Rhipidura in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
Rhipiduridae. Most of the species are about 15 to 18 cm long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "fantails", but the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
Willie WagtailThe Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
, is a little larger, and though still an expert hunter of
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s on the wing, concentrates equally on terrestrial prey.
The true
wagtailThe wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
s are part of the genus
Motacilla in the family
MotacillidaeThe Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
and are not close relatives of the fantails.
The fantails are small bodied (11.5-21 cm long) birds with long tails; in some species the tail is longer than the body and in most the tail is longer than the wing.
Fantails are small insectivorous
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s of southern
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
belonging to the
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
Rhipidura in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
Rhipiduridae. Most of the species are about 15 to 18 cm long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "fantails", but the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
Willie WagtailThe Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
, is a little larger, and though still an expert hunter of
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s on the wing, concentrates equally on terrestrial prey.
The true
wagtailThe wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
s are part of the genus
Motacilla in the family
MotacillidaeThe Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
and are not close relatives of the fantails.
Description
The fantails are small bodied (11.5-21 cm long) birds with long tails; in some species the tail is longer than the body and in most the tail is longer than the wing. When the tail is folded it is rounded at the end, but when spread in display or aerial foraging it has a characteristic fan shape that gives the family its name.
Fantails adopt a hunched horizontal posture most of the time, with the wings drooped and held away from the body and the tail half cocked. There are some exceptions to this, particularly the
Northern FantailThe Northern Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
of New Guinea and the
Cockerell's FantailThe Cockerell's Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands....
of the
Solomon IslandsThe Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. Together they cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres . The capital is Honiara, located on the island of Guadalcanal.The Solomon Islands are believed to have been...
, which have a more upright posture reminiscent of the monarch flycatchers.
The wings of fantails are tapered and have sacrificed speed for agility, making fantails highly efficient at catching insect prey. Overall the fantails are strong
fliersFlight is the main mode of locomotion used by most of the world's bird species. Flight assists birds while feeding, breeding and avoiding predators....
, and some species can undertake long migrations, but the thicket-fantails (
Sooty Thicket-fantailThe Sooty Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
,
White-bellied Thicket-fantailThe White-bellied Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
and
Black Thicket-fantailThe Black Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
) are very weak fliers, and need to alight regularly.
The
billsThe beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
of fantails are typical for aerial insect eating birds, being flat and triangular. The gape is surrounded by two rows of rictal bristles which are long, often as long as the bill.The bills of most species are fairly weak, limiting fantails to softer insects, although the more terrestrial Willie Wagtail has a relatively stronger bill.
The
plumagePlumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of most fantails shows some variation, most species are relatively uniform with some markings. A few species, such as the
Rennell FantailThe Rennell Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, have uniform plumage, while others have striking if sombre patterns. The colours of most species are greys, blacks, whites and browns, although a few species have yellow or even striking blue feathers. In most species there is no
sexual dimorphismSexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. Examples include colour , size, and the presence or absence of parts of the body used in courtship displays or fights, such as ornamental feathers, horns, antlers or tusks.-Examples:In...
in plumage; the notable exception being the
Black FantailThe Black Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
of
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
where the male has all-over black plumage and the female is almost entirely rufous. In a few species, such as the
New Zealand FantailThe New Zealand Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in the South Island of New Zealand, also in the North Island as subspecies Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis, the Chatham Islands as Rhipidura fuliginosa penita and formerly the Lord Howe Island as Rhipidura fuliginosa...
, there exist two colour morphs, the common pied morph and the rarer black morph (which is most common on the
South IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
).
Range, migration and habitat
Fantails are an
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
n
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
that has spread as far as
SamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa , is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and Savai'i...
to
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
. In the south the
Grey FantailThe Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
ranges as far as the Snares off
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, in the eastern extend of the family has several endemic forms in western
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
. There are numerous species in
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
and in South East Asia, and the family ranges into southern
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
and the
HimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Some species have a widespread distribution, particularly the
Willie WagtailThe Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
,
Grey FantailThe Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
,
White-throated FantailThe White-throated Fantail, Rhipidura albicollis, is a small passerine bird.The White-throated Fantail breeds across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas, India and Bangladesh east to Indonesia. This species is found in forest, scrub and cultivation.-Description:The adult White-throated...
and
Northern FantailThe Northern Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
; others have a highly restricted range and in the case of some insular species may be restricted to a single island. The
Mussau FantailThe Matthias Fantail, Rhipidura matthiae is a fantail which is endemic to Mussau Island in the St. Matthias Islands of Papua New Guinea.- External links :*...
is restricted to a single island in the Bismark Archipelago, and the
Kadavu FantailThe Kadavu Fantail is a species of bird in the fantail family Rhipiduridae.It is endemic to Kadavu and Ono in the Kadavu Islands, Fiji...
has a similarly restricted distribution in the
Kadavu GroupThe Kadavu Group is an archipelago south of Viti Levu, one of Fiji's two main islands. Dominated by Kadavu, the fourth largest island in Fiji, the group also includes Galoa, Ono, and a number of islets in the Great Astrolabe Reef....
of
FijiFiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. The country comprises an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets...
.
Most fantails, particularly the tropical or insular forms, are sedentary and undertake no
migrationBird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. These however are usually irregular or in only one direction and are termed variously as nomadism, invasions,...
. Some northern and southern species undertake a variety of movements; the
Yellow-bellied FantailThe Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha is a fantail found in southern Asia.-External links:*...
of the
HimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow", is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
is an altitudinal migrant, breeding between 1500-4000m, but moving to lower altitudes (as low as 180m) in the winter. Some
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n fantails undertake seasonal migrations, although these show considerable variation even within individual species. Most populations of the
Rufous FantailThe Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons inhabits the east coast of Australia. The base of its tail is bright orange-red in colour and their wings are greyish brown. They have a black and white breast that grades into a white colour on the chin and throat....
exhibit little migratory behaviour, but the south-eastern population moves en-mass to northern
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
.
Fantails exhibit wide tastes in habitat; while the majority of species are found in
rainforestRainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm . The monsoon trough, alternately known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests.From 40 to 75%...
s fantails exist in most available habitats from
desertA desert is a landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than per year, or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. In the Köppen climate classification system,...
s and mangrove forests to highly modified agricultural and
urbanAn urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
environments. Most species are able to survive in a variety of habitats. Of all the species the Mangrove Fantail has the most restricted habitat requirements, being entirely restricted to
mangroveMangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S. The saline conditions tolerated by various species range from brackish water, through pure seawater , to water of over twice the salinity of ocean seawater,...
forests over some of its range, although it can exist 3 km away in the absence of other fantails. Some of the more primitive species are generally more restricted to primary rainforest, but most other species can survive in more disturbed forest. The most adaptable species is the Willie Wagtail, which is abundant in every habitat type in Australia except for dense rainforest.
Behaviour
The behaviour of many species of fantail has not been studied, but overall the family is highly uniform in its habits. Anecdotal observations of less studied species suggest a high degree of similarity with the better studied species. Fantails are highly active birds, with several of the smaller species continuously on the move; even when perched they continue to rock back and forth, spin 180° on the spot, wag their tail from side to side or fan and unfan it. In flight they are highly agile and undertake highly aerobatic and intricate looping flights.
The Fantail has about twelve feathers on its tail. It has been observed that the Fantail sheds its tail feathers when threat approaches. This behavior may be to distract the perceived danger or predator.
Diet and foraging
The majority of the diet of fantails composes of small
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s and
invertebrateAn invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....
s. The larger Willie Wagtail is capable of tackling small
skinkSkinks are the most diverse group of lizards. They make up the family Scincidae which shares the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae...
s, but this is exceptional. Insect prey is generally small and easily handled, but larger items sometimes need to be subdued by banging it on branches, an action that also removes the wings of larger prey items like
mothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy. Sometimes the names "Rhopalocera" and "Heterocera" are used to formalize the popular distinction...
s.
There are two general techniques used by the family in order to obtain prey. The first is known as "static searching", where the fantail will remain at a perch and watch for ariel prey which it will then sally towards and snatch from the air before returning to the perch in order to consume and resume searching. The second method used is known as "progressive searching", where the fantail moves through vegetation searching for insect prey which it gleans; the movement of the searching fantail also flushes out hidden prey which is also pursued and consumed. The Willie Wagtail performs a terrestrial version of this technique, pumping its tail from side to side and undertaking quick darting movements across open ground in order to flush up prey.
Fantails frequently form associations with other species in order obtain prey. Some species perch on the backs of cattle, which they use both as a vantage point and because the cattle flush up insects. This behaviour has given the Willie wagtail the nickname "Shepherd's Companion". Fantails are often very bold around people and will approach them closely in order capture insects flushed by them. Different species are also frequently found in
Mixed-species feeding flockA mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s, travelling with other small insectivorous birds on the periphery of the flocks taking advantage of flushed prey.
Breeding
Fantails are
territorialIn ethology, sociobiology and behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
and aggressively defend their territories from conspecifics (other members of the same species) as well as other fantail species and other flycatchers. Within the territory the female selects the
nestingA bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term is popular in reference to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
site, these sites are often close to the previous year's nest. Breeding responsibilities, nest building,incubation and chick feeding, are shared between both sexes.
The nest, a small cup of grass stems neatly bound together in
spider silkSpider silk, also known as gossamer, is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
, takes around 10 days to construct. Many species incorporate a trailing tail into the base of the nest; this possibly breaks up the shape of the nest, although little other effort is made to conceal the nest. To compensate for the high visibility of the nest fantails will aggressively defend their chicks from potential predators.
Female fantails will also distract a potential predator by appearing to be injured and luring the predator away from the nest. While the female is pretending to be injured the male may continue to attack the predator. In spite of this fantails have a generally low nesting success.
Species
Based on del Hoyo et al. (2006)
- Yellow-bellied Fantail
The Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha is a fantail found in southern Asia.-External links:*...
, Rhipidura(Chelidorhynx) hypoxantha
- Blue Fantail
The Blue Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura superciliaris
- Blue-headed Fantail
The Blue-headed Fantail Rhipidura cyaniceps is a fantail endemic to the Philippines....
, Rhipidura cyaniceps
- Chestnut-bellied Fantail
The Chestnut-bellied Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, Rhipidura hyperythra
- Friendly Fantail
The Friendly Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura albolimbata
- Grey Fantail
The Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
, Rhipidura albiscapa
- New Zealand Fantail
The New Zealand Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in the South Island of New Zealand, also in the North Island as subspecies Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis, the Chatham Islands as Rhipidura fuliginosa penita and formerly the Lord Howe Island as Rhipidura fuliginosa...
, Rhipidura fuliginosa
- Lord Howe Fantail
The Lord Howe Fantail , also known as the Lord Howe Island Fantail or Fawn-breasted Fantail, was a small bird in the fantail family, Rhipiduridae. It is an extinct subspecies of the New Zealand Fantail...
, Rhipidura fuliginosa cervina - extinct (c.1925)
- Mangrove Fantail, Rhipidura phasiana
- Brown Fantail
The Brown Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
, Rhipidura drownei
- Dusky Fantail
The Dusky Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Rhipidura tenebrosa
- Rennell Fantail
The Rennell Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura rennelliana
- Streaked Fantail
The Streaked Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu....
, Rhipidura spilodera or Rhipidura verreauxi
- Kadavu Fantail
The Kadavu Fantail is a species of bird in the fantail family Rhipiduridae.It is endemic to Kadavu and Ono in the Kadavu Islands, Fiji...
, Rhipidura personata
- Samoan Fantail
The Samoan Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Samoa.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura nebulosa
- Rusty-bellied Fantail
The Rusty-bellied Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
or Rusty-flanked Fantail, Rhipidura teysmanni
- Tawny-backed Fantail
The Tawny-backed Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
or Cinnamon-backed Fantail, Rhipidura superflua
- Streaky-breasted Fantail
The Streaky-breasted Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Rhipidura dedemi
- Long-tailed Fantail
The Long-tailed Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Rhipidura opistherythra
- Palau Fantail
The Palau Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Palau.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura lepida
- Rufous-backed Fantail
The Rufous-backed Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura rufidorsa
- Bismarck Fantail
The Bismarck Fantail Rhipidura dahli is a fantail. The binomial commemorates the German naturalist Friedrich Dahl....
, Rhipidura dahli
- Matthias Fantail
The Matthias Fantail, Rhipidura matthiae is a fantail which is endemic to Mussau Island in the St. Matthias Islands of Papua New Guinea.- External links :*...
, Rhipidura matthiae
- Malaita Fantail
The Malaita Fantail is a fantail endemic to Malaita in the Solomon Islands.-External links:*...
, Rhipidura malaitae
- Arafura Fantail
The Arafura Fantail , sometimes known as the Wood Fantail, inhabits the Lesser Sunda Islands, the northern coast of Australia from the Kimberley to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, including subcoastally in the Top End of the Northern Territory, and southern New Guinea...
, Rhipidura dryas
- Pohnpei Fantail
The Pohnpei Fantail is a fantail which is endemic to the Pacific island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a common bird in forest and at the forest edge...
, Rhipidura kubaryi
- Rufous Fantail
The Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons inhabits the east coast of Australia. The base of its tail is bright orange-red in colour and their wings are greyish brown. They have a black and white breast that grades into a white colour on the chin and throat....
, Rhipidura rufifrons
- Guam Rufous Fantail, Rhipidura rufifrons uraniae - extinct (1984)
- Manus Fantail
The Manus Fantail Rhipidura semirubra is a fantail endemic to the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea.-External links:*...
, Rhipidura semirubra
- Dimorphic Fantail
The Dimorphic Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura brachyrhyncha
- Black Fantail
The Black Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura atra
- Black-and-cinnamon Fantail
The Black-and-cinnamon Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
, Rhipidura nigrocinnamomea
- Rufous-tailed Fantail
The Rufous-tailed Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura phoenicura
- White-bellied Fantail
The White-bellied Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura euryura
- Spotted Fantail
The Spotted Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura perlata
- White-browed Fantail
The White-browed Fantail, Rhipidura aureola, is a small passerine bird.The White-browed Fantail breeds across tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Vietnam. This species is found in forest and other woodland. Three eggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree.-Description:The adult...
, Rhipidura aureola
- Pied Fantail
The Pied Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam....
, Rhipidura javanica
- Spot-breasted Fantail, Rhipidura albogularis
- White-throated Fantail
The White-throated Fantail, Rhipidura albicollis, is a small passerine bird.The White-throated Fantail breeds across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas, India and Bangladesh east to Indonesia. This species is found in forest, scrub and cultivation.-Description:The adult White-throated...
, Rhipidura albicollis
- Brown-capped Fantail
The Brown-capped Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Rhipidura diluta
- Cinnamon-tailed Fantail
The Cinnamon-tailed Fantail, Rhipidura fuscorufa is a fantail restricted to the Banda Sea Islands of Indonesia.- References : Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened- External links :*...
, Rhipidura fuscorufa
- Northern Fantail
The Northern Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
, Rhipidura rufiventris
- Cockerell's Fantail
The Cockerell's Fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands....
or White-winged Fantail, Rhipidura cockerelli
- Sooty Thicket-fantail
The Sooty Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Rhipidura threnothorax
- White-bellied Thicket-fantail
The White-bellied Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, Rhipidura leucothorax
- Black Thicket-fantail
The Black Thicket-fantail is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, Rhipidura maculipectus
- Willie Wagtail
The Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
, Rhipidura leucophrys
External links