Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyRhipiduridae (Fantails)
- GenusRhipidura (Fantails)
- SpeciesRhipidura rufiventris (Northern Fantail)
About the Northern Fantail
The northern fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris) is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is found in New Guinea, Timor, and northern Australia (from Broome in Western Australia to the Shire of Burdekin in Queensland). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
The northern fantail was formally described in 1818 as Platyrhynchos rufiventris by the French ornithologist Louis Vieillot. The specific epithet is Modern Latin meaning "red-bellied" from Latin rufus meaning "ruddy" or "rufous" with venter, ventris meaning "belly". Vieillot mistakenly believed that the specimen had been collected in "Nouvelle-Hollande" (Australia). The type locality has been designated as the island of Timor. The specimen described by Vieillot had probably been collected in 1801 by René Maugé de Cely during the Baudin expedition to Australia. The northern fantail is now placed in the genus Rhipidura that was introduced in 1827 by Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield.
Twenty subspecies are recognised: R. r. tenkatei Büttikofer, J, 1892 – Rote Island (eastern Lesser Sunda Islands) R. r. rufiventris (Vieillot, LJP... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Northern Fantail in Kakadu National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kakadu National Park
Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys
Arafura Fantail
Rhipidura dryas
Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
Mangrove Fantail
Rhipidura phasiana
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Corvus orru
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Coracina papuensis
Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus
Paperbark Flycatcher
Myiagra nana
White-gaped Honeyeater
Stomiopera unicolor
Lemon-breasted Flycatcher
Microeca flavigaster
White-throated Honeyeater
Melithreptus albogularis
Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Fantail in Kakadu National Park?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Fantail sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 627 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Fantail in Kakadu National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Northern Fantail in Kakadu National Park in our monthly data.