Sunda Forktail
Enicurus velatus
The Sunda Forktail (Enicurus velatus) is a legendary chats, old world flycatchers, and alli found only in Indonesia, weighing about 33 g. The Sunda forktail is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
About the Sunda Forktail
The Sunda forktail is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is restricted to the islands of Java and Sumatra. Its natural habitat is boulder strewn streams in tropical moist montane forest from 600–2000 m. More rarely the species occurs closer to sea level. The species is common in Sumatra, but is rarer in Java, where the white-crowned forktail is more common.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Sunda forktail is 16 cm (6.3 in) in length with a deeply forked tail. The male has a white breast, belly and rump, and black wings, and a dark grey back and head. There is a small white line between the eyes. The tail is black with white barring. The female is similar to the male but has a brown crown and nape. The nominate race is found on Java. The Sumatran subspecies, sumatranus, differs from the nominate in having more rufous brown on the female. The call of this species is a hard shrill "chee" or "hie-tie-tie"
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, March, April, May, July, August, October, December, with peak activity in January. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Sunda Forktail?
- The Sunda forktail is 16 cm (6.3 in) in length with a deeply forked tail. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Sunda Forktail?
- The Sunda Forktail is a small sized bird weighing about 33 g.
- Where can you see a Sunda Forktail?
- The Sunda Forktail is endemic to Indonesia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Sunda Forktail?
- The Sunda Forktail is most easily confused with the Bornean Forktail, the Chestnut-naped Forktail and the Black-backed Forktail.
- Is the Sunda Forktail endangered?
- The Sunda Forktail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Sunda Forktail for real
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