Black Thicket Fantail
Rhipidura maculipectus
The Black Thicket Fantail (Rhipidura maculipectus) is a legendary fantails and silktail found in 2 countries, weighing about 18 g. The black thicket fantail is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae.










About the Black Thicket Fantail
The black thicket fantail is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is found in the Aru Islands and New Guinea. This species is one of 47 in the genus Rhipidura.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird measuring 18-19 cm and weighing 18-19 g. The plumage is blackish with white spots on the chest and wings and a white tip to the tail. There is besides a short white stripe above the eye and white spot on the side of the neck. The tail is often lifted and fanned out. The iris is dark brown, the beak is black with pinkish underside. Males and females are similar but females have fewer spots and are paler on the abdomen. Juveniles are sooty black all over except for an indistinct white supraorbital spot and white tips on the tail feathers.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black Thicket Fantail?
- This is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird measuring 18-19 cm and weighing 18-19 g. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black Thicket Fantail?
- The Black Thicket Fantail is a small sized bird weighing about 18 g.
- Where can you see a Black Thicket Fantail?
- The Black Thicket Fantail occurs in 2 countries, including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
- What birds look similar to a Black Thicket Fantail?
- The Black Thicket Fantail is most easily confused with the Visayan Blue Fantail, the White-bellied Fantail and the Streak-breasted Fantail.
- Is the Black Thicket Fantail endangered?
- The Black Thicket Fantail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black Thicket Fantail for real
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