Last updated on 1-Nov 2017
The dainty Rufous Fantail is usually seen singly or occasionally in twos, flitting about below the canopy of moist eucalypt forests and rainforests, where they usually inhabit the dense, shady undergrowth of gullies. Foraging mostly in the air, Rufous Fantails often perch restlessly on the branches, with their wings continually fidgeted and the tail almost always fanned, regularly making short, jerky flights out from the perch, flitting and fluttering, diving, twisting and looping near the foliage and branches to dislodge, flush or catch insect prey.
The Rufous Fantail is a small, active bird that has a distinctive reddish-brown rump and a continuously fanned tail. The crown, face, neck, and shoulders are grey-brown, shading to reddish brown on the lower back, rump, and upper tail. The eyebrow is reddish-brown, the chin and throat are white, grading into a dappled black and white breast, and the rest of the underparts are white-tinged red-brown. The wings are grey-brown and the tail feathers have red-brown bases but are otherwise dark grey, tipped white. Young birds are similar, but duller, with less distinct markings on the breast.
Thin, ascending whistles; also a single or double ‘chip’. Bird call recorded by: Fred Van Gessel
The Rufous Fantail is found in eastern coastal Australia. It is also found in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Guam.
Habitat: Woodland, Forest, Rainforest, Wetland
The Rufous Fantail is found in rainforest, dense wet forests, swamp woodlands and mangroves, preferring deep shade, and is often seen close to the ground. During migration, it may be found in more open habitats or urban areas.
The Rufous Fantail is strongly migratory in the south of its range, it moves northwards in winter, and virtually disappears from Victoria and New South Wales at this time.
The Rufous Fantail feeds on insects, which it gleans from the middle and lower levels of the canopy. It is a very active feeder and constantly fans tail and flicks wings and body while foraging.
The Rufous Fantail builds a small compact cup nest, of fine grasses bound with spider webs, that is suspended from a tree fork about 5 m from the ground. The bottom of the nest is drawn out into a long stem. Both sexes share nest-building, incubation and feeding of the young. One or two broods may be raised in a season.
