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21

Northern Fantail

(Rhipidura rufiventris)
Alternate name(s): "Red-vented Fantail", "Banded Fantail"
Size: 19-22 cm
Weight: 11-14 g

Similar
species

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

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Northern Grey Fantail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "isura"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Frontal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kakadu NP, NT, July 2020]

Frontal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Tree Point Conservation Area, Shoal Bay, NT, March 2019]

Frontal view of a Northern Fantail without tail feathers (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, June 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Tyto Wetlands, Ingham, QLD, September 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island, NT, September 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Northern Fantail on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island, NT, September 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, August 2012]

Lateral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Normanton, QLD, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]

Lateral view of a Northern Fantail without tail feathers (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, June 2020]

Lateral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Lateral/ventral view of a Northern Fantail with its tail fanned (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin NP, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Northern Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Normanton, QLD, September 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Northern Fantail; note the buff tips on the wing coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Northern Fantail; note the buff tips on the wing coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Lateral view of a juvenile Northern Fantail; note the buff tips on the wing coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan Eggs: 2 Incubation period: 12 - 14 days Fledging age: 13 - 15 days

In favourable conditions Northern Fantails can have two broods per season.

Nest building: Female & male Incubation: Female & male Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket with tail Material: Paperbark, spider webs Height above ground: 2 - 20 m

Northern Fantail chick in its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail chick begging to be fed (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail bringing food for its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail feeding its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail attending to its chick, possibly waiting for a discharge (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail brooding to its chick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail feeding one of its two chicks (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Umbrawarra Gorge, near Pine Creek, NT, January 2020]

Northern Fantail at its nest, with one of its two chicks seen begging (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Umbrawarra Gorge, near Pine Creek, NT, January 2020]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Northern Fantail sitting on its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, August 2023]

Northern Fantail nest still under construction (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, October 2023]

Northern Fantail bringing cobwebs to bind its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, October 2023]

Northern Fantail bringing more material for its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, October 2023]

Northern Fantail working on the cup of its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, October 2023]

Northern Fantail taking off from its nest (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, September 2011]

For Northern Fantails nesting is clearly teamwork - from construction... (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2020]

... right through to the incubation phase (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 17 x 15 mm Colour: Off-white to creamy, with light- to mid-brown speckles Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Northern Fantail basking in the sun on a "cool" day (26 C maximum) (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, May 2021]

Food, Diet

Like all other fantails, Northern Fantails feed primarily on insects and spiders.

Northern Fantail with its prey, a butterfly (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Northern Fantail with its prey, a dragonfly (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Coomalie Creek, 90 km south of Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Northern Fantail whacking its prey to death (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fannie Bay, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

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.

norfant_20140816_4.m4a isura
(Darwin, NT)
Territorial calls © MD
norfant_20140820.m4a isura
(Darwin, NT)
Extended territorial call © MD
norfant_pb_20230813.mp3 isura
(Darwin, NT)
Contact, warning calls + defending nest against Spangled Drongo © PB
norfant_pb_20200619.m4a isura
(Darwin, NT)
? © PB
Click here for more recordings

More Northern 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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site?
If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.