Photo: William Matthew Hart / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
White-bellied Thicket Fantail
Rhipidura leucothorax
White-bellied Thicket Fantail (Rhipidura leucothorax) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail (Rhipidura leucothorax) is a member of the Rhipiduridae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 17.6 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Rhipiduridae Fantails
- Genus Rhipidura
- Species leucothorax
Quick facts
- Weight
- 17.6 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail (Rhipidura leucothorax) is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU New Guinea.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 17.6 g, with a wing length of about 8.2 cm and a tail of around 8.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 565,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the White-bellied Thicket Fantail?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is a small bird that weighs around 17.6 g.
Where does the White-bellied Thicket Fantail live?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU New Guinea, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the White-bellied Thicket Fantail belong to?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail (Rhipidura leucothorax) belongs to the Rhipiduridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the White-bellied Thicket Fantail eat?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the White-bellied Thicket Fantail migrate?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the White-bellied Thicket Fantail endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the White-bellied Thicket Fantail make?
1 real field recording of the White-bellied Thicket Fantail — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the White-bellied Thicket Fantail's range?
The White-bellied Thicket Fantail has a mapped global range of about 565,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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