The Palau fantail (''Rhipidura lepida'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the fantail family

Rhipiduridae The family Rhipiduridae are small insectivorous birds of Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent that includes the fantails and silktails. Taxonomy and systematics There are four genera classified within the family: * Subfamily ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The species is closely related to and forms a superspecies with the long-tailed fantail of the

Tanimbar Islands The Tanimbar Islands, also called ''Timur Laut'', are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku (province), Maluku Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. The largest and most central of the islands is Yamdena; others include Selaru to t ...

, the Sulawesi fantail of

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, the

tawny-backed fantail The tawny-backed fantail (''Rhipidura superflua''), also known as the cinnamon-backed fantail, is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is endemic to Buru island in Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowl ...

Buru Buru (formerly spelled Boeroe, Boro, or Bouru) is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Ma ...

and the streak-breasted fantail of

Seram Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent is ...

, all in Indonesia. The specific name, ''lepida'', was given to the species when it was described by Hartlaub and Finsch in 1868, and is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, ''lepidus'' for 'charming'.Boles, W. (2017). Palau Fantail (Rhipidura lepida). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/59158 on 26 March 2017).

Description

The Palau fantail is a typical fantail, short-bodied and long-tailed, measuring . The , , back and upper tail are cinnamon. The throat and are white and the breast is black, the wings are black edged with cinnamon, and the belly is white. The tail is black tipped with rufous. The sexes are the same in plumage but the females are slightly smaller. Juveniles have brown upperparts, and dingy white throats.

Habitat and distribution

The Palau fantail is endemic to Palau in the Pacific Ocean, where it can be found on

Babeldaob Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of the Republic of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is ...

(the largest island),

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition ...

, Urukthapel,

Eil Malk Eil Malk or Mecherchar is the main island of the Mecherchar Islands, an island group of Palau in the Pacific Ocean. In a more narrow sense, just the southeastern peninsula of Mecherchar is called Eil Malk. Geography Eil Malk is located 23 kil ...

and

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

. The species is found in forests, including mature primary forests, secondary growth and forest patches in ravines in savannah. It will occasionally enter scrub and is found, albeit infrequently, in mangrove forests. The species is non-migratory.

Behaviour

The Palau fantail is an active feeder, hopping and flying while searching for prey, which can be caught in the air from or gleaned from vegetation. It moves through the subcanopy and undergrowth of the forest, occasionally, taking prey from tree trunks and rocks. Very little is known about its breeding behaviour. Its nest is a tightly woven cup with a trailing tail set in a fork in a branch.

Status and conservation

The Palau fantail is not considered to be threatened with extinction. It is a restricted range species, being only found in Palau, but can be common within its range, and is thought to have increased in numbers since the 1930-1940s. It is one of the more common forest birds in Palau, and is listed as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2225346 Rhipidura Birds of Palau Endemic fauna of Palau Endemic birds of Palau Birds described in 1868 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot