About the African Paradise Flycatcher
The African paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine bird. The two central tail feathers of the male are extended into streamers that commonly are more than twice as long as the body. The female tail feathers are of moderate length and without streamers. The upper parts of the male body, wings, and tail are boldly coloured in chestnut or rusty shades, but the underparts and the head are variably grey to blue-gray, with the head of the mature male being darker, commonly glossy black with greenish highlights. The beak and other bare areas, including a wattle ring round the eye, match the colour of the surrounding feathers. The female coloration is similar, though not so showy and…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The adult male African paradise flycatcher is about 17 cm (6.7 in) long, but the very long tail streamers double this. It has a black head, neck and underparts, and chestnut wings and tail. There is a prominent white wingbar. The female has a browner tint to the underparts and lacks the wingbar and tail streamers. Young birds are similar to the female but duller. The males show considerable variation in plumage in some areas. There is a morph of this species in which the male has the chestnut parts of the plumage replaced by white, and some races have black tail streamers.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Djibouti.
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisiAdult Indian paradise flycatchers are 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in) long.
Red-bellied Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone rufiventerThe red-bellied paradise flycatcher, also known as the black-headed paradise flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird of the family of monarch flycatchers.
Malagasy Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone mutataThe Malagasy paradise flycatcher is a medium-sized passerine, measuring 18 cm (7.1 in) in length and weighing between 12.1 and 12.3 g (0.43 and 0.43 oz).
Side by side: African Paradise Flycatcher vs Indian Paradise Flycatcher
Learn the African Paradise Flycatcher for real
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