Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
The Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) is a common fantails and silktail found in 4 countries, weighing about 9 g. The grey fantail is a small insectivorous bird.
About the Grey Fantail
The grey fantail is a small insectivorous bird. There is no sexual dimorphism. It is a common fantail found in Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The species is considered by many to be conspecific with the New Zealand fantail ; however, differences in its calls lead some authorities to treat it as a separate species. The studies of grey fantail in 1999 by Richard Schodde and Ian Mason recommended that Tasmanian grey fantail was formally classified as R. albiscapa and New Zealand fantails populations as R. fuliginosa
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This species is mid-to-dark grey or grey-brown above, lighter (often yellowish/orange) below, with a white throat, white markings over the eye, and with (depending on the race) either white-edged or entirely white outer tail feathers. It grows to 16 cm (6.3 in) in length, of which half is the tail, which, as the name implies, is often displayed fanned out. This reveals that the outer tail feathers are light and the centre ones are dark. Some races, such as keasti, have a darker plumage.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Grey Fantail can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Grey Fantail?
- This species is mid-to-dark grey or grey-brown above, lighter (often yellowish/orange) below, with a white throat, white markings over the eye, and with (depending on the race) either white-edged or entirely white outer tail feathers. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Grey Fantail?
- The Grey Fantail is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.
- Where can you see a Grey Fantail?
- The Grey Fantail occurs in 4 countries, including Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
- What birds look similar to a Grey Fantail?
- The Grey Fantail is most easily confused with the Willie Wagtail, the New Zealand Fantail and the Sunda Pied Fantail.
- Is the Grey Fantail endangered?
- The Grey Fantail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Grey Fantail for real
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