Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher
Terpsiphone affinis
东方寿带
Introduction
A bird species in the family Monarchidae. Inhabits evergreen broadleaf forests and forest edges, including secondary growth, gardens, and plantations, typically in lowland and foothill regions. Characterized by dimorphic males exhibiting both rufous and white plumage variations, with elongated central tail streamers in breeding males nearly twice body length. Some populations undertake migratory movements. Native to northeast India, Indochina, Sumatra and Borneo. Ten subspecies are recognized. Formerly considered a subspecies of the Asian paradise flycatcher until elevated to species rank by the IOC in 2015.
Description
A typical paradise flycatcher with striking plumage. Features a dark head, small triangular crest, and blue eye-ring. Males are dimorphic: rufous morphs have orange-rufous upperparts and white underparts with grey wash, while white morphs have entirely white plumage with dark wing and central tail feather shaft streaks. Breeding males possess elongated central tail streamers extending nearly twice the length of the body. Females resemble non-breeding rufous males but display a less vibrant blue eye-ring and slightly paler head.
Identification
Can be challenging to distinguish from overlapping Amur paradise flycatcher, Indian paradise flycatcher, and female black paradise flycatcher. Key distinguishing features include the short, rounded crest (versus the longer, pointed crest of the Indian paradise flycatcher). Rufous morphs show a pale rufous undertail, contrasting with the white undertail of the Amur paradise flycatcher and black undertail of the black paradise flycatcher. Additionally, rufous morphs exhibit a gradual transition to grey on the underparts rather than the sharp contrast observed in similar species.
Distribution & Habitat
Native to northeast India, Indochina, Sumatra and Borneo. Inhabits evergreen broadleaf forests and forest edges, secondary growth, gardens, and plantations in lowland and foothill regions. Some populations are migratory; for example, populations occurring in Malaysia migrate northward for breeding. Ten subspecies are recognized across the range, including populations on the Nicobar Islands, Malay Peninsula, various Sumatran islands, Borneo, and Sumba in the Lesser Sundas.
Behavior & Ecology
Feeds on insects, typical of paradise flycatcher behavior. Breeding males display elongated central tail streamers. The song consists of a ringing series of 'wiwiwiwiwiwiwi' notes. The call is a nasal 'ji-jeh' or 'ji-jeh-jeh'. Social behavior includes occupying forest territories and maintaining breeding pairs during the breeding season.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
- Genus
- Terpsiphone
- eBird Code
- blypaf2
Subspecies (8)
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Terpsiphone affinis affinis
peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Riau, and Lingga Archipelagos, Bangka, Belitung, and Java
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Terpsiphone affinis borneensis
Borneo
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Terpsiphone affinis burmae
central and southern Myanmar
-
Terpsiphone affinis indochinensis
southern China (southern Yunnan) to southern Thailand and Indochina
-
Terpsiphone affinis insularis
Nias (off Sumatra)
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Terpsiphone affinis nicobarica
Nicobar Islands
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Terpsiphone affinis procera
Simeulue (off Sumatra)
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Terpsiphone affinis saturatior
breeds in the eastern Himalayas, northeastern India (Assam), and Bangladesh; winters at lower elevations, but nonbreeding range poorly known: often reported to winter to Malay Peninsula, but perhaps only a vagrant that far south
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.