Birds and Birding's Guide to:
Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS
THE SONG BIRDS
THE FLYCATCHERS
Fan-tailed Flycatchers
Although there are many others of more or less interest, we shall have space to mention only the Fantails (Rhipidura), which are so named from the ample, well-graduated tail. They are very numerous, there being fully one hundred species, and are characterized by a very large bill which is about as long as broad, numerous long rictal bristles, and, as stated above, by the large fan-shaped tail; the sexes are nearly or quite alike in plumage. The Fantails inhabit the Oriental region, the Malay Archipelago, and the Australian region, including Tasmania, and all are practically resident where found. They are very active, lively little birds, being constantly on the move, and are often seen with outspread tail,”dancing from branch to branch”or tumbling in the air as they dart out to capture a passing insect. They all construct small, beautifully cup-shaped nests of fine grasses coated with cobwebs and usually placed on a large limb or in a forking branch.
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