Sooty Thicket-Fantail
Rhipidura threnothorax
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyRhipiduridae (Fantails)
- GenusRhipidura (Fantails)
- SpeciesRhipidura threnothorax (Sooty Thicket-Fantail)
About the Sooty Thicket-Fantail
The sooty thicket fantail (Rhipidura threnothorax) is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is found in New Guinea. The majority of fantails are strong fliers, and some species can undertake long migrations, but sooty thicket fantail as well as the other thicket fantails (white-bellied thicket fantail and black thicket fantail) are very weak fliers, and need to alight regularly.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. According to IOC there are 2 recognised subspecies. In alphabetical order, these are: R. t. fumosa Schlegel, 1871 — Yapen (Geelvink Bay, NW of New Guinea)
R. t. threnothorax Müller, S, 1843 — Raja Ampat Islands (NW of New Guinea), Aru Islands (SW of New Guinea) and New Guinea Sooty thicket fantail Rhipidura threnothorax Müller, S, 1843 «xeno-canto» website — Birds' Voices all over the world
Tvardikova K. (2022). "Rhipidura -threnothorax Müller, S, 1843". New Guinea Birds online. Retrieved 2022-03-17. "Sooty Thicket-Fantail Rhipidura threnothorax". Ebird: photos, description, range map. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys
Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris
Black Thicket-Fantail
Rhipidura maculipectus
Black Fantail
Rhipidura atra
White-bellied Thicket-Fantail
Rhipidura leucothorax
Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides
Pacific Swallow
Hirundo javanica
Torresian Crow
Corvus orru
Glossy-mantled Manucode
Manucodia ater
Red Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea rubra
Shining Flycatcher
Myiagra alecto
Hooded Butcherbird
Cracticus cassicus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Sooty Thicket-Fantail in Raja Ampat?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty Thicket-Fantail sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Sooty Thicket-Fantail in Raja Ampat?
April has the highest sighting rate for Sooty Thicket-Fantail in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.