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Mangrove Fantail (Rhipidura phasiana) Alternate name(s): "Mangrove Grey Fantail" Size: 14.5-16 cm Body mass: 6-8 g

Australia: Family Group 21 Family Group 21 Table White-eared Monarch Pied Monarch Frill-necked Monarch Black-faced Monarch Black-winged Monarch Spectacled Monarch Yellow-breasted Boatbill Broad-billed Flycatcher Leaden Flycatcher Satin Flycatcher Shining Flycatcher Restless Flycatcher Paperbark Flycatcher Rufous Fantail Arafura Fantail Mangrove Fantail Grey Fantail Northern Fantail Willie Wagtail Spangled Drongo Magpie-lark Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Mangrove Fantails are small fantails. Apart from two short white eyebrows and two small white spots above the ear coverts, they have a grey head. They have a wide throat patch that extends sideways to under the ear coverts, below which a sooty-grey band is found across the upper chest. The rest of the front, from the lower chest to the undertail coverts, is pale-buff to creamy. The back, including the wings, is all-grey, except for two white wing bars and inconspicuous white outer edges on the flight feathers. The long tail, which is often fanned, is dark-grey. The outer tail feathers have white outer edges. The eyes have dark irises. The straight bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have browner colours, with buff-tinged wing bars and head markings. Twitcher's tip Compared with Grey Fantails, they have broader white wing bars and a proportionally larger bill. Compared with Northern Fantails, they have a narrower chest band and otherwise darker front.

Taxonomy, classification See Mangrove Grey Fantail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Mangrove Fantail is available HERE . Mangrove Fantails are found on some islands of eastern Indonesia, in parts of New Guinea and along parts of the Australian coastline. In Australia Mangrove Fantails populate a narrow fringe along the North and North-West coast of the continent. Their distribution ranges from about the Wooramel River, WA, in the West to the southern tip of the Gulf of Carpentaria, QLD, in the East. Mangrove Fantails live in tropical to subtropical mangrove.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting a Mangrove Fantail at Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, in July 2012. We first spotted a Mangrove Fantail in Darwin, NT, in August 2014, but did not manage to take a photo. P. Brown reports finding a Mangrove Fantail at Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, in July 2019. Another was found at Ludmilla Creek, Darwin, NT, in April 2021. Next, a Mangrove Fantail was found by P. Brown at Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, in January 2024. M. Eaton reports finding Mangrove Fantails at both Crab Creek Mangroves and Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, in June/July 2026.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail - note the thin black stripe between white throat and chestnut breast/belly
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Near-frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Near-frontal view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Near-lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Near-lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Near-lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Close-up lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Close-up lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Lateral view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

Lateral/ventral view of a Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, July 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a Mangrove Fantail looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Streeters Jetty, Broome, WA, July 2026]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Mangrove Fantail basking in the sun (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Ludmilla Creek, Darwin, NT, April 2021]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Ludmilla Creek, Darwin, NT, April 2021]

Lateral view of a juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Crab Creek Mangroves, Broome, WA, June 2026]

Lateral view of a juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Ludmilla Creek, Darwin, NT, April 2021]

Hyper-melanism

Frontal view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Frontal view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail with its tail fanned (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Near-frontal view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Lateral view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Lateral view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a (hypermelanistic?) juvenile Mangrove Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

manfant_me_20260706.m4a	(W NT)	Territorial call (+ Mangrove Gerygone, Bar-sh. Dove)	© ME
manfant_pb_20240120.m4a	(Top End, NT)	Various (+ Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Yellow Oriole)	© PB
manfant_pb_20240120_2.m4a	(Top End, NT)	Various (+ Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Yellow Oriole)	© PB

More Mangrove Fantail sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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