Photo: JJ Harrison / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Arafura Fantail
Rhipidura dryas
Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) is a member of the Rhipiduridae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 9.2 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 dryas
Quick facts
- Weight
- 9.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Arafura 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 Arafura Fantail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) is a species of bird in the Rhipiduridae family, part of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU coastal sc New Guinea n Australia.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 9.2 g, with a wing length of about 7 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 391,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Arafura Fantail?
The Arafura Fantail is a very small bird that weighs around 9.2 g.
Where does the Arafura Fantail live?
The Arafura Fantail is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU coastal sc New Guinea n Australia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Arafura Fantail belong to?
The Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas) belongs to the Rhipiduridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Arafura Fantail eat?
The Arafura Fantail is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Arafura Fantail migrate?
The Arafura Fantail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Arafura 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 Arafura Fantail make?
1 real field recording of the Arafura 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 Arafura Fantail's range?
The Arafura Fantail has a mapped global range of about 391,000 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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