The Tablas fantail (''Rhipidura sauli'') is a

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...

endemic to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Tablas Island Tablas is the largest of the islands that comprise the province of Romblon in the Philippines. The name of the island was of Spanish origin. Before the colonization of the Philippines, Tablas was known as the Island of ''Osigan''. At the time of ...

. Until recently, it was considered

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with the

blue-headed fantail The blue-headed fantail (''Rhipidura cyaniceps'') is a fantail endemic to the northern Philippines where it is found on the islands of Luzon and Catanduanes. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the Tablas fantail and Visayan fantai ...

and

Visayan fantail The Visayan fantail (''Rhipidura albiventris'') is a fantail endemic to the Philippines on islands of Negros, Panay, Guimaras, Masbate and Ticao. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the blue-headed fantail and Tablas fantail. ...

. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...

describes the bird as "A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of lowland forest on Tablas. Dull blue on the head, chest, back, and shoulder with some paler blue streaking on the chest and crown. Has a buff belly, a rufous lower back, rump, outer tail feathers, and wing, and a dark wing edge and dark central tail feathers. Tail often held cocked and fanned while foraging. Similar to Black-naped Monarch, but Tablas Fantail has a rufous rump and tail. Voice includes single nasal “jep” notes given at intervals or speeded up into a rapid series." It is differentiated from the

and

with its darker brown belly.

Habitat and Conservation Status

The species inhabits tropical moist lowland

primary forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

in areas with mature closed-canopy forest. It is believed to be less tolerant to habitat disturbances compared to close relatives the

Blue-headed fantail The blue-headed fantail (''Rhipidura cyaniceps'') is a fantail endemic to the northern Philippines where it is found on the islands of Luzon and Catanduanes. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the Tablas fantail and Visayan fantai ...

and

. The

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

classifies this bird as vulnerable with population estimates of 2,500 to 9,999 mature individuals. This species' main threat is

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

with wholesale clearance of forest habitats as a result of legal and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

, and conversion into farmlands through

Slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

and other methods.The species does not occur at high density even within the little remaining forest cover on Tablas: Mt Palaupau serves as a watershed for

. There are no species specific conservation programs going on at the moment but conservation actions proposed include more species surveys to better understand habitat and population. initiate education and awareness campaigns to raise the species's profile and instill pride in locals. Lobby for protection of remaining forest and assess feasibility of reforestation projects,

References

*Sánchez-González, L.A., and R.G. Moyle. 2011. Molecular systematic and species limits in the Philippine fantails (Aves: Rhipidura). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 61: 290–299.

External links

Image at ADW
Tabias fantail Endemic birds of the Philippines Fauna of Romblon Tabias fantail Tabias fantail {{Rhipiduridae-stub