Rhipidura albiscapa
The Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) is a small, agile passerine, measuring approximately 14-17 cm in length with a wingspan of 17-21 cm and weighing 7-9 grams. Its upperparts are a soft grey-brown, contrasting with a distinct white throat and a small white supercilium, often framed by a dark mask. Rufous wash on the flanks and a dark tail conspicuously tipped with white are key identification marks, especially when fanned, which is a near-constant behavior. This hyperactive bird, a member ...
Grey Fantails inhabit a diverse range of environments, including open woodlands, forests (eucalypt, acacia, temperate), shrublands, rainforest edges, riparian zones, and even urban parks and gardens. They are found from sea level up to moderate altitudes, particularly favoring areas with a dense ...
The Grey Fantail's diet consists almost exclusively of small, flying insects, including flies, mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and small wasps. They primarily capture prey through agile aerial hawking, sallying out from perches to snatch insects mid-flight, sometimes gleaning from foliage or the ground.
This highly active diurnal bird is rarely still, constantly flitting, hovering, and performing acrobatic twists and turns as it pursues prey. Its primary foraging strategy involves 'sallying' or 'hawking' for insects, launching from a perch to snatch prey mid-air, often using its fanned tail to c...
The Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) is widely distributed across mainland Australia, Tasmania, and several offshore islands. Its breeding range encompasses diverse habitats from the tropical north to the temperate south, extending across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South ...
Least Concern
- The Grey Fantail is one of the most hyperactive birds in Australia, constantly in motion, flitting and fanning its tail even when briefly perched. - Its characteristic tail-fanning serves multiple purposes: to flush out hidden insects, to steer during agile aerial pursuits, and as a display dur...