Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

White Morph
Photo by DaninJapan
Krabi Mangroves Thailand, March 2011

Terpsiphone affinis

Identification

20-22 cm, with 20cm long tail streamers
Two very distinct colour phases.
Male has black head and a shaggy peaked crest, bright blue skin round eye, blue bill. Body and very long ribbon tail either entirely white, with black wing feathers, or bright chestnut-brown body and tail, greyish face and breast, paler abdomen.
Female: like the chestnut-phase male, with shorter tail, shorter crest.

Distribution

Southeast Asia

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 10 subspecies^[1]:

• T. p. saturatior:

• Breeds in the eastern Himalayas, north-eastern India (Assam), and Bangladesh. winters at lower elevations, but non-breeding range poorly known: often reported to winter to Malay Peninsula, but perhaps only a vagrant that far south

• T. a. burmae:

• Central and southern Myanmar

• T. a. indochinensis:

• Southern China (southern Yunnan) to southern Thailand and Indochina

• T. a. affinis:

• Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Riau and Lingga Archipelagos, Bangka, Belitung, and Java

• T. a. nicobarica:

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• T. a. borneensis:

• Borneo

• T. a. procera:

• Simeulue Island (off Sumatra)

• T. a.insularis:

• Nias Island (off Sumatra)

• T. a. sumbaensis:

• Sumba (western Lesser Sundas

• T. a. floris:

• Western Lesser Sundas (Sumbawa, Alor, Besar, Lomblen and Flores)

Formerly included in Asian Paradise-Flycatcher together with Amur Paradise-Flycatcher and Indian Paradise-Flycatcher.

Habitat

Thick forests and other well-wooded habitats.

Behaviour

Breeding

It builds a cup nest in a tree and 3-4 eggs are laid.

Diet

The diet includes insects.

Vocalisation

It has a sharp zweet call.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Avibase
4. Birdforum Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blyth%27s_Paradise-Flycatcher

External Links

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