Blyth's paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone affinis''), also called the oriental paradise flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family

Monarchidae The monarchs or monarch flycatchers (family Monarchidae) comprise a family of over 100 passerine birds which includes shrikebills, paradise flycatchers, and Grallina, magpie-larks. Monarchids are small insectivore, insectivorous songbirds with l ...

. This species occupies evergreen broadleaf forests and forest edges, including secondary growth, gardens, and plantations, typically in lowland and foothill regions. Some populations undertake migratory movements. It is native from southern China to

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

and

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

. Formerly, it was considered a subspecies of the

Asian paradise flycatcher In 2015, the Asian paradise flycatcher was split into the following three species: * Indian paradise flycatcher The Indian paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone paradisi'') is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia, where it is widely distrib ...

until elevated to species rank by the IOC in 2015.

Subspecies

Ten

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognized: * ''T. a. saturatior'' - ( Salomonsen, 1933): Breeds in the eastern parts of Nepal and northeastern India, in eastern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar; populations occurring in Malaysia migrate northward for breeding. * ''T. a. nicobarica'' - Oates, 1890: Originally described as a separate species. Found on

Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelago, archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of t ...

* ''T. a. burmae'' - (Salomonsen, 1933): Found in central Myanmar * ''T. a. indochinensis'' - (Salomonsen, 1933): Found in eastern Myanmar and southern China to

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

* ''T. a. affinis'' - ( Blyth, 1846): Found on

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

and Sumatra * ''T. a. procera'' - (

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, 1903): Originally described as a separate species. Found on

Simeulue Simeulue is an island of Indonesia, off the west coast of Sumatra. It covers an area of 1,754 square kilometre (677 square miles), including minor offshore islands. It had a population of 80,674 at the 2010 census and 92,865 at the 2020 census ...

(off north-western Sumatra) * ''T. a. insularis'' - Salvadori, 1887: Originally described as a separate species. Found on

Nias Nias (, Nias: ''Tanö Niha'') is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, but also includes the Batu Islands to the southeast and the small ...

(off north-western Sumatra) * ''T. a. borneensis'' - (

Hartert Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German people, German ornithologist. Life and career Hartert was born in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married ...

, 1916): Found on

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

* ''T. a. sumbaensis'' - Meyer, AB, 1894: Originally described as a separate species. Found on

Sumba Sumba (; ), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in Sumba languages) is an Indonesian island (part of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the East Nusa Tenggara pro ...

(southern

Lesser Sundas The Lesser Sunda Islands (, , ), now known as Nusa Tenggara Islands (, or "Southeast Islands"), are an archipelago in the Indonesian archipelago. Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali pr ...

) The Tenggara paradise flycatcher (''T. floris''), which is found on

Sumbawa Sumbawa, is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but th ...

, Alor,

Lembata Lembata is an island in the Lesser Sunda Islands, also known as Lomblen or Kawela; it is the largest island of the Solor Archipelago, in the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. It forms a separate regency of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. Th ...

and

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...

(central Lesser Sundas), was formerly considered a subspecies, but has recently been reclassified as a distinct species.

Description

Blyth's paradise flycatcher is a typical

paradise flycatcher The paradise flycatchers (''Terpsiphone'') are a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus Range (biology), ranges across Africa and Asia, as well as a number of islands. A few species are bird migration, migratory, but the majority are ...

, with a striking plumage. It is characterized by a dimorphic male, exhibiting both rufous and white plumage variations. Both morphs share a dark head, a small, triangular crest, and a blue

eye-ring The eye-ring of a bird is a ring of tiny feathers that surrounds the orbital ring, a ring of bare skin immediately surrounding a bird's eye. The eye-ring is often decorative, and its colour may contrast with adjoining plumage. The ring of feather ...

. The breeding male is distinguished by elongated central tail streamers, nearly twice the length of its body. Females bear resemblance to non-breeding rufous males, but usually show a less vibrant blue eye-ring and a slightly paler head. White morphs display dark wing and central tail feather shaft streaks. Identification can be challenging due to similarities with the Amur paradise flycatcher,

Indian paradise flycatcher The Indian paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone paradisi'') is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia, where it is widely distributed. As the global population is considered stable, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List sin ...

, and female

black paradise flycatcher The black paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone atrocaudata''), also known as the Japanese paradise flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird native to southeastern Asia. It is a glossy black, chestnut and white bird, slightly smaller than either ...

where their ranges overlap. Distinguishing features include the short, rounded crest of Blyth's paradise flycatcher (contrasting with the longer, pointed crest of the Indian paradise flycatcher), a pale rufous undertail in rufous morphs (versus the white undertail of the Amur paradise flycatcher and black undertail of the black paradise flycatcher), and a gradual transition to grey on the underparts of rufous morphs, lacking the sharp contrast observed in other species. The song is a ringing series of "''wiwiwiwiwiwiwi''" notes, while the call is a nasal "''ji-jeh''" or "''ji-jeh-jeh''".

Subspecies

Description

References

Further reading