- Rhipidura malaitae
Identification
16 cm.
- Rust-coloured upperparts with duskier crown and nape and tawnier supercilium and side of face
- Dusky black upperwings, broadly edged with russet
- Pale rusty tail
- Light ochraceous buff throat, tawnier rest of underparts
Sexes similar. Juveniles like adults but with softer plumage and shorter tail and wing.
Distribution
Endemic to Malaita, south-eastern Solomon Islands.
A restricted-range species with a very small and localized population. Probably only a few hundred pairs left and recent records are just from two sites, in the mountains of central Malaita.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Forms a superspecies with Bismarck Fantail, Mussau Fantail and Rufous-backed Fantail.
Habitat
Montane forests. Usually above 900 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects.
Forages actively, often droops its wings and cocks or fans its tail. Also in mixed foraging flocks with other small insectivorous, including Rufous Fantail.
Insects. Forages actively, drooping wings, cocking and fanning tail. Joins mixed foraging flocks of small insectivorous species, including R. rufifrons.
Breeding
No information available.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Malaita Fantail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Malaita_Fantail
