Chestnut-bellied Fantail
Rhipidura hyperythra
A fairly small, long-tailed bird of forest midstory from the lowlands to the lower mountains. Rufous belly, gray upperparts and crown, white facial markings and dotted wing bars. Forages actively like other fantails, with tail cocked, fanned, wings drooped and often switching from side to side. Often joins mixed flocks. Similar to Northern and Friendly Fantails, but Chestnut-bellied has rufous underparts. It is usually found at lower elevations than Friendly. Song, a long, descending, quavering note.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura hyperythra
- Authority
- Gray, GR, 1858
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Genus
- Rhipidura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Thyolo Alethe
Chamaetylas choloensis
A robust, chocolate-backed forest skulker with clean-cut pale underparts washed gray, and a distinctive white throat and outer tail tips. Singles and pairs are shy and inconspicuous residents in the dense under-story of mid-altitude forest, between 700–1900m. May follow army-ant swarms, where it loses its fear of humans. Calls a loud downslurred quavering “tiiyuuu” and harsh chitter in alarm. Similar White-chested Alethe differs from Cholo by having gray (not brown) face and rufous tail lacking white.
Olive-crowned Yellowthroat
Geothlypis semiflava
Small yet chunky warbler of wet, grassy, and shrubby areas. Very similar to Common and Masked Yellowthroats: olive above, yellow below, black mask. However, note lack of whitish or gray border to black mask. Female also similar to other yellowthroats but with entirely yellow underparts and olive face. Song is somewhat variable, always including sweet repeated notes but sometimes with a complex chattering ending.
Gray Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
Small songbird with long, pale-tipped tail, tiny, thin bill. Gray above, pale below, with narrow pale wingbars and a thin black border between white throat and chest. Frequently cocks and fans tail. Subspecies vary in upperparts tone and extent of white in the tail. Inhabits wide range of habitats, very active in foraging, and rarely perches in the same place for long.
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