Solomons Rufous Fantail
Rhipidura rufofronta
Small, active songbird with long, pale-tipped tail and warm brownish-orange on the forehead, rump, and tail base. Varies throughout range in the Solomons; all are brown above and pale below, with a black-speckled breast. Birds on Uki Island stand out in having a black throat, while birds on Santa Ana and San Cristobal (Makira) average paler, brighter brown on the back. Inhabits wooded habitats from the coast up into the mountains. High-pitched, tinkling song often has a descending quality. Formerly grouped with other closely related species under “Rufous Fantail.”
Taxonomy
The Solomons rufous fantail was formally described in 1879 by the Australian ornithologist Edward Pierson Ramsay based on a specimen that had been collected by James F. Cockerell on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Ramsay coined the binomial name Rhissidura rufofronta (with the genus name Rhipidura misspelled). The specific epithet combines Latin rufus meaning "red" with frons, frontis meaning "forehead" or "brow". The Solomons rufous fantail was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the rufous fantail (renamed the Australian rufous fantail) (Rhipidura rufifrons) but is now treated as a separate species mainly based on the genetic differences.<p>Seven subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura rufofronta
- Authority
- Ramsay, EP, 1879
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Genus
- Rhipidura
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
African Pygmy-Goose
Nettapus auritus
Colorful miniature waterfowl that is smaller than most ducks. Both sexes have rufous underparts, a dark back, white on the face, and white on the wing in flight. Males have a green patch on the back of the head and a yellow bill; females have a black-and-white head and a dark bill. Found in freshwater wetlands with floating vegetation, especially water lilies. Shy and inconspicuous, as it generally avoids open water. Voice is a high-pitched squeaking. Small size and bold and colorful plumage separate it from other waterfowl.
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Dark-bodied tern of tropical offshore waters, rarely seen from mainland. Breeds in colonies on rocky and sandy offshore islets. Sometimes found with offshore feeding flocks of boobies and other terns. Feeds by picking from the surface, not plunge-diving like most terns. Adult solidly dark brown with white cap. White limited to the forehead on immature.
Manus Dwarf-Kingfisher
Ceyx dispar
A small blue-and-orange kingfisher with a bright waxy orange bill, ginger underparts, a white throat, and blue upperparts with a bright white neck spot. Female has a bright orange, not blue, head with a blue crown. Found in forest habitats, not necessarily near water, tolerating plantations and degraded forest. No other dwarf-kingfisher shares its range. Told from Common Kingfisher by smaller size and entirely red bill. Call apparently nearly identical that of other Melanesian dwarf-kingfishers: a high-pitched, weak repetitive whistle, often given in flight.
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