Kingdom Animalia Order Passeriformes Genus Terpsiphone Higher classification Paradise flycatcher | Phylum Chordata Family Monarchidae Scientific name Terpsiphone rufiventer Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Paradise flycatcher, Rufous‑vented paradise flycatcher, Bates's paradise flycatcher, Blue paradise flycatcher | ||
Red bellied paradise flycatcher bird in gambia
The red-bellied paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer), also known as the black-headed paradise flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird of the family of monarch flycatchers. It is native to West Africa. The male bird is about 17 cm (7 in) long and has a black head, a mainly chestnut body, and a tail with streamers nearly twice as long as the body. The colouring is somewhat variable across the bird's range. Both females and juveniles lack the tail streamers and are a duller brown colour. It is closely related to the African paradise flycatcher, and the two can hybridise.
Contents
Red bellied paradise flycatcher and hybrid
Taxonomy and systematics
The name "red-bellied paradise flycatcher" is also used as an alternate name for Bedford's paradise flycatcher.
Subspecies
Ten subspecies are recognized:
Until 2009, the Annobón paradise flycatcher was classified as a subspecies (T. r. smithii) of the Red-bellied paradise flycatcher.
Description
The adult male of this species is about 17 cm long, but the long tail streamers nearly double the birds length. It has a black head, and the rest of the plumage is chestnut, other than a prominent black wingbar. The female is duller and lacks the tail streamers. Young birds are plain brown.
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.
The red-bellied paradise flycatcher is a noisy bird with a sharp zweet call. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. It is insectivorous, often hunting by flycatching.
The black-bellied African paradise flycatcher, Terpsiphone viridis, is closely related to this species, and hybrids occur with the underparts a mixture of black and red.
Distribution and habitat
The red-bellied paradise flycatcher is a common resident breeder in tropical western Africa south of the Sahara Desert. This species is usually found in thick forests and other well-wooded habitats. Two eggs are laid in a tiny cup nest in a tree.