About Rhipidura fuliginosa (Sparrman, 1787)
Rhipidura fuliginosa, the fantail described here, is mid to dark grey or grey-brown on its upper body, and yellowish or orange on its underbody. It has a dark band across the chest, located below a white throat, plus white markings above the eye. Its outer tail feathers are either white-edged or entirely white, depending on the race. This fantail reaches 16 cm (6.3 in) in total length, and half of this length is made up by its tail. As suggested by the name 'fantail', the tail is often held fanned out. This fanned display shows that the outer tail feathers are light-colored, while the central tail feathers are dark. Some subspecies have darker plumage. This includes the well-known 'black fantail' morph, which occurs in 4% of birds from the South Island, and in less than 1% of birds from the North Island. This black morph is completely absent from the Chatham Islands. The black morph has no white markings anywhere on its body, and is entirely dark except for a single white spot behind the eye. Fantails are widely known for their characteristic fan-shaped tails. Juvenile fantails have similar patterning to adults, but their bodies are browner and their body markings are indistinct.
