White-throated Fantail
Rhipidura albicollis
A distinctive fantail, all dark except for a white throat and a short white eyebrow. The tail, often fanned, is a shade darker with white tips to all tail feathers except the central pair. Juvenile is like adult, but with reduced white on face and brownish edges to the dark body feathers. Gives very harsh contact calls. Song is a musical phrase of 6-7 notes that ascends first and then descends. Found in a wide range of wooded habitats, from dense forest to forest edge and gardens, from lowlands up into the mountains.
Identification
The adult white-throated fantail is about 19 cm (7.5 in) long. It has a dark fan-shaped tail, edged in white, and white supercilium and throat. There is otherwise much variation in plumage between races. Most resemble the Himalayan R. a. canescans, which is primarily slate grey above and below, featuring a black eye mask, and a white throat and eyebrow.[citation needed]<p>Local names for the bird in India include Nasoni sorai (Assamese).
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura albicollis
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Genus
- Rhipidura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The white-throated fantail lays three eggs in a small cup nest in a tree. It is insectivorous, and often fans its tail as it moves through the undergrowth.<p>The eggs are approximately 2 cm (0.79 in) in length. They are white in colour, with a band of brown spots around the middle, closer towards the base of the egg. <p>Birds use the same song year after year, with progressively small changes, with the result that the song sounds very different after 4–5 years. The male's call is a valuable tool in detection and identification of the bird, which can often be confused with the white-browed fantail, R. aureola, where their ranges overlap. R. aureola has light underparts and prominent spots in two rows on the wings.[citation needed]
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Versicolored Barbet
Eubucco versicolor
Brightly colored barbet of montane forest. Males are green with a yellow breast, a red belly band, and a red head; the color of the whisker can be blue or yellow depending on the subspecies. Females have a blue face and a greener body. Both sexes have a pale greenish-yellow bill. Often found singly or in pairs with mixed-species flocks, foraging in the mid-story and canopy of humid forest. Listen for a musical purr with a punctuated introductory note: “PA-prrrrr.”
Flat-billed Kingfisher
Todiramphus recurvirostris
A compact kingfisher with a comparatively short, shallow, wide bill. Has deep blue wings, a greenish-blue back, and a blue cap with buffy white in front of the eye that narrows above it to form an eyebrow. Underparts washed cinnamon. Found in most habitats, even urban parks and gardens. Local subspecies of Pacific Kingfisher is larger, with a noticeably heavier, thicker bill and much cleaner white underparts. Flat-billed’s voice is a series of short, sharp “kik” notes.
Canary Islands Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus canariensis
Only found on the Canary Islands. Brownish-green above and buffy below with a prominent long eyebrow. The wings are shorter than on Common Chiffchaff, making the tail look longer. Legs are rather pale and the bill is slightly decurved. Song is similar to Common Chiffchaff, but is more explosive and uneven. Found in woodlands, gardens, brushy areas, and plantations.
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