- Rhipidura nebulosa
Identification
Small, drab bird. Brown all over, with a pale vent. Tail is slightly russet coloured, with white feather tips, bordered with black.
Distribution
Endemic to Samoa. Declining on Savai'i, but it's common everywhere else in Samoa, and it occurs on offshore islands. The bird is small, active and lives in dense jungle, so populations may be overlooked.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- R. n. nebulosa:
- Mountains of Upolu (Western Samoa)
- R. n. altera:
- Mountains of Savai'i (Western Samoa)
Habitat
Found almost anywhere on Samoa, including rainforests, clearings and offshore islands. Prefers reasonable vegetation, and so is less common on rocky sea stacks.
Behaviour
Often overlooked due to is small size and dull plumage. An active, excitable bird. It crouches and fans its tail when it displays, and this increases its size greatly.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Samoan Fantail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Samoan_Fantail
