Bird of the Week 10/13 - 10/17

And you thought the last guy's tail was long

This week’s bird is the: Indian Paradise-Flycatcher

The female, with chicks. Photo cred

1. This bird lives in South Asia, with some migratory birds flying as far north as Kazakhstan during the summer months.

2. The male has an epic tail, measuring around 30cm, or about one foot long! That’s even longer than last week’s bird, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (sorry Oklahoma) .

3. A full grown male tail takes a few years to appear. Young males and females have a much more proportional tail (see above).

4. One of the most interesting things about this species is that it comes in two different colors, rufous and white (see below).

5. This species is very similar to two other very similar looking birds, Blyth’s and Amur Paradise-Flycatchers. Both of these species also exhibit two different color morphs! All three were considered a single species up until about 10 years ago, when they were split based on DNA evidence.

   

   Photo cred: Prasan Shrestha

6. BONUS FACT: There are 16 Paradise Flycatchers. You should look them up, they are all spectacular!

   Have a good week!