Malagasy Paradise-Flycatcher - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Peter Day
Vacona Forest Lodge, Madagascar, November, 2016

Alternative name: Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher

Terpsiphone mutata

Identification

18 cm (7 in); plus 18 cm long tail
Male

• Two colour morphs; white and chestnut
• Long tail is formed by elongated central rectrices

Distribution

Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoro Islands.

Taxonomy

Female
Photo by James J Williams
Perinet Forest, Madagascar, June 2007

Subspecies

Male, Chestnut morph
Photo by Dave Clark
Kirindy Forest in western Madagascar, September 2012

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

• T. m. mutata:

• Forests of eastern Madagascar

• T. m. singetra:

• Forests of western Madagascar

• T. m. pretiosa:

• Mayotte (Indian Ocean)

• T. m. vulpina:

• Anjouan (Comoro Islands)

• T. m. voeltzkowiana:

• Mohéli (Comoro Islands)

• T. m. comoroensis:

• Grand Comoro Island

Habitat

Primary forests of various types. Also found in tree plantations, on savannas, in mangroves and degraded woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

Their main diet consists of flying insects.

Breeding

They have one brood each year.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

• 

  Photo by balticbird

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Jan 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Malagasy Paradise-Flycatcher. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Malagasy_Paradise-Flycatcher

External Links

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