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Rhipidura
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Rufous-backed Fantail Rhipidura rufidorsa Scientific name definitions

Walter Boles
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2006

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

13–14 cm; 9–10 g. Has crown and nape grey, side of head buffy to greyish, upperparts rufous; remiges greyish-brown, edged with rufous, wing-coverts rufous; tail greyish, becoming rufous towards base, rectrices tipped white, narrowly on central pair, broadly on others; throat whitish, upper breast mottled grey and buff, belly and undertail-coverts buffy white, flanks buffier; iris dark brown; bill brown to pinkish-brown, darker above, paler below; legs brown to grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is like adult, but tail shorter. Race kumusi is brighter than nominate; kubuna is duller and paler.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

May be closest to R. dahli, R. matthiae and R. malaitae. Birds from Port Moresby area said to differ vocally from those in upper Fly R (1); study required. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Rhipidura rufidorsa rufidorsa Scientific name definitions

Distribution

West Papuan Is (Misool I) and lowland New Guinea E to Astrolabe Bay and, in S, to Fly R; Yapen I, in Geelvink Bay.
SUBSPECIES

Rhipidura rufidorsa kumusi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N coast of SE New Guinea (Kumusi R E to Collingwood Bay).
SUBSPECIES

Rhipidura rufidorsa kubuna Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S coast of SE New Guinea (Angabunga R E to Yeimauri R area).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Rainforest, monsoon forest, nearby tall secondary growth and swamp-forest; lowlands to c. 650 m, locally to 850 m. Found mainly in interior of forest, sometimes at edge.

Movement

Sedentary; individuals observed or recaptured for up to 3 years at same locality.

Diet and Foraging

Insects. Forages from near ground level to below canopy, but mostly in lower to middle levels. Food obtained by gleaning, flycatching-gleaning and flycatching; proportions of each technique vary, from mainly flycatching (c. 80%) to little flycatching (less than 1%), and to mostly gleaning; gleans from outer to middle part of tree, from leaves (74%), leaf litter (12%), branches (10%), trunks (4%). May join mixed-species foraging flocks of small insectivorous passerines.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song 3 rising whistled notes, each one tone higher than previous, and 3–5 (sometimes 8) high-pitched descending notes, with final note sometimes rising; varies geographically. Other vocalizations include short decelerating trill for scolding, high-pitched nasal “chicew”, and weak “chip” as contact.

Breeding

Nest with eggs in Jul, recently fledged young in early Oct, fledglings in late Aug, birds in breeding condition May–Aug (testes enlarged Jul), and paired adults observed late May to early Oct; apparently breeding during dry season. During what appeared to be courtship behaviour (in Jul), one individual occasionally hovered over the other. Nest a small cup with “tail” hanging from underside; placed 0·4–0·9 m from ground on thin horizontal fork in small, slender shrub several centimetres from main vertical stem, in fairly open area in forest substage. Clutch 2 eggs, pinkish-white, with sparse reddish-brown spots mainly at large end; no information on incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Generally very common to fairly common in lowlands, less so in hills. Estimated density of 6 birds/10 ha at lowland rainforest site near R Brown, in SE New Guinea.
Distribution of the Rufous-backed Fantail - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Rufous-backed Fantail

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Boles, W. (2020). Rufous-backed Fantail (Rhipidura rufidorsa), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rubfan1.01
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