Palau Fantail
Rhipidura lepida
Small, with a long, often fanned tail. Mostly pale orange-red with a gleaming white throat and a black chest with gray sides. Note the small black eye mask. Mostly resident in forest, but sometimes forages in open scrub. Common vocalization is a soft whistle or raspy “me-EE-ow.”
Identification
The Palau fantail is a typical fantail, short-bodied and long-tailed, measuring 18 cm (7.1 in). The crown, nape, back and upper tail are cinnamon. The throat and malar are white and the breast is black, the wings are black edged with cinnamon, and the belly is white. The tail is black tipped with rufous. The sexes are the same in plumage but the females are slightly smaller. Juveniles have brown upperparts, and dingy white throats.
Taxonomy
The species is closely related to and forms a superspecies with the long-tailed fantail of the Tanimbar Islands, the Sulawesi fantail of Sulawesi, the tawny-backed fantail of Buru and the streak-breasted fantail of Seram, all in Indonesia. The specific name, lepida, was given to the species when it was described by Hartlaub and Finsch in 1868, and is Latin, lepidus for 'charming'.
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura lepida
- Authority
- Hartlaub & Finsch, 1868
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Genus
- Rhipidura
Range and habitat
The Palau fantail is endemic to Palau in the Pacific Ocean, where it can be found on Babeldaob (the largest island), Koror, Urukthapel, Eil Malk and Peleliu. The species is found in forests, including mature primary forests, secondary growth and forest patches in ravines in savannah. It will occasionally enter scrub and is found, albeit infrequently, in mangrove forests. The species is non-migratory.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Palau fantail is an active feeder, hopping and flying while searching for prey, which can be caught in the air from or gleaned from vegetation. It moves through the subcanopy and undergrowth of the forest, occasionally, taking prey from tree trunks and rocks.<p>Very little is known about its breeding behaviour. Its nest is a tightly woven cup with a trailing tail set in a fork in a branch.
Conservation
The Palau fantail is not considered to be threatened with extinction. It is a restricted range species, being only found in Palau, but can be common within its range, and is thought to have increased in numbers since the 1930-1940s. It is one of the more common forest birds in Palau, and is listed as least concern by the IUCN.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Fairy Pitta
Pitta nympha
A beautiful ground-dweller of well-shaded forests. Adult mostly green above, creamy tan below, with vivid red patch in undertail and central belly and multicolored head, with black mask, tan eyebrow, white throat, and rufous-and-black crown. The similar Blue-winged Pitta has vivid blue wings. In flight, note bright green wings with electric blue shoulder and white patch. Four-syllabled song consists of paired, clear whistles, “pee-yu, pee-yu.”
Germain's Peacock-Pheasant
Polyplectron germaini
Small compact brown pheasant with bright red facial skin and iridescent sapphire spots all over the body, with longer green spots on the tail. Inhabits forests with dense cover from the lowlands up into the foothills and lower montane areas. Generally shy and reclusive and very difficult to see well.
African Cuckoo
Cuculus gularis
A typical Old World cuckoo, with gray-and-white plumage and long wings and tail. Powerful, falcon-like flight. A brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of many other bird species. Found in all types of savannah and woodland. Extremely vocal when breeding, giving a distinctive “hoo-hao”. Extremely similar to Common Cuckoo, but has more yellow at the base of the bill; nearly half of the bill is normally yellow. Also similar to Lesser and Madagascar cuckoos, but larger, and without a contrastingly black tail and rump.
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