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Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) Alternate name(s): "Rufous Flycatcher", "Rufous-fronted Fantail" Aboriginal name(s): "buurrujingaa" [ngadjon] Size: 14-16 cm; wing span 18-22 cm Body mass: 9-13 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Rufous Fantails are small fantails. They have a white throat patch that extends sideways to under the ear coverts. The upper chest is black, continuing downwards in black and light-grey scales. The belly and undertail coverts are light-grey. The frons and eyebrows are orange-rufous; the cap and mantle are rufous-grey. They have thin whitish eye-rings. The rump and upper half of the uppertail are bright orange-rufous, while the lower part of the tail is dark-grey. The wings are dark-brown. The eyes have dark irises. The bill is black; the legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have duller, browner colours. Twitcher's tip Compared with Arafura Fantails, they have brighter colours and more rufous on their tail.

Taxonomy, classification See Rufous Fantail at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The Arafura Fantail (Rhipidura dryas), is now considered to be a separate species.

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 Rufous Fantail is available HERE . The range of the Rufous Fantail extends from the Mariana Islands and Colonia in the North, via West Papua (eastern Indonesia), New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to Australia in the South. Rufous Fantails are breeding migrants to Australia from the North. There are two races, "rufifrons" and "intermedia", both of which are found along the East coast of Australia. Nominate race "rufifrons" populates the South-East coast and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, from near the VIC/SA border in the South to the Clarence River valley in far-northern NSW. To the North of the Clarence River, all the way up to the eastern half of Cape York peninsula, QLD, race "intermedia" is found. Rufous Fantails can be found primarily in rainforest or wet gullies in dense forest. Where to look? How to find this species? Rufous Fantails tend to stay in dense underbrush or rainforest on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range and are very active (even more so than their grey cousins). This hyperactivity can attract the observer's attention, even in semi-darkness.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "rufifrons" Rufous Fantails, race "rufifrons", are very rare in the area where we live, near Narrabri, NSW. Although there are rare reports from the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, so far we have not seen one there yet. A Rufous Fantail, race "rufifrons", was, for example, seen by A. Lines in the hills near Biniguy, NSW. Rufous Fantails, race "rufifrons", are regularly spotted by us on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in Dorrigo NP and in Washpool NP, in north-eastern NSW. They were also seen and photographed by C. Kellenberg at Gibraltar Range NP, NSW, in January 2009. M. Mearns reports spotting a Rufous Fantail, race "rufifrons", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015. R. Plumtree spotted a Rufous Fantail, race "rufifrons", along Mellick Minjie Road in Victoria State Park, VIC, in January 2016. R. Plumtree also finds Rufous Fantails, race "rufifrons", semi-regularly during the breeding season around Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC. They were found breeding there in December 2016 and again in December 2018/January 2019. Race "intermedia" B. Hensen reports spotting a Rufous Fantail, race "intermedia", at Julatten, QLD, in July 2013. J. Greaves spotted a Rufous Fantail, race "intermedia", at O'Reilly's Plateau, Lamington NP, Gold Coast, QLD, in October 2015. M. Eaton reports spotting a Rufous Fantail, race "intermedia", in various locations in coastal QLD, ranging from Anstead and Pullenvale in the South to Iron Range NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in the North, where they were found in August 2019. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports finding Rufous Fantails, race "intermedia", at Iron Range NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, in November 2020. Another was spotted at Julatten, QLD, in September 2023.

Photos

Race "rufifrons"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of an adult Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[DFA Road, Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2016]

Near-lateral view of a Rufous Fantail looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Lateral view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a (possibly juvenile) Rufous Fantail fanning not only its tail, but also its wings
[Dorrigo NP, NSW, January 2011]

Lateral view of a (possibly juvenile) Rufous Fantail
[Dorrigo NP, NSW, January 2011]

Fledgling Rufous Fantail on its first day out of the nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2019]

Race "intermedia"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Iron Range NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Frontal view of a Rufous Fantail looking sideways (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Julatten, QLD, July 2013]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Near-lateral view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Julatten, QLD, June 2024]

Near-lateral view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lamington NP, Gold Coast hinterland, QLD, in October 2015]

Lateral view of a Rufous Fantail with its tail characteristically fanned (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Iron Range NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, November 2020]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a Rufous Fantail with its tail characteristically fanned
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Julatten, QLD, September 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, May 2018]

Dorsal view of a Rufous Fantail (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Iron Range NP, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Apr

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 14 - 15 days

Fledging age: 16 - 18 days

The breeding season of Rufous Fantails depends on geographic latitude. The core breeding season extends from October to February.

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

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

Type: Basket with tail

Material: Soft inner bark, spider webs

Height above ground: 0.5 - 3 m

Some nests have been found higher, up to 7 m above ground level.

Close-up frontal view of a Rufous Fantail on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a Rufous Fantail adding cobwebs to its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a Rufous Fantail on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Close-up dorsal view of a Rufous Fantail on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Rufous Fantail nest that is still under construction (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pullenvale, QLD, October 2023]

Frontal view of a Rufous Fantail on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2018]

Lateral view of a Rufous Fantail on its nest (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2019]

Rufous Fantail bringing food for its chicks (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2019]

Rufous Fantail near its nest with a begging chick inside (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[DFA Road, Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2016]

Rufous Fantail leaving its nest after having fed the chick (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[DFA Road, Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2016]

Eggs

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

Size: 17 x 14 mm

Colour: Creamy, with mid-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

View into a Rufous Fantail nest with at least one egg inside (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2018]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive/migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

It appears that food competition between Rufous Fantails and Grey Fantails is insignificant, given that they have been found nesting right next to each other contemporaneously (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[DFA Road, Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, December 2016]

Food, Diet

Like all other members of the Rhipidura family known to us, Rufous Fantails are insect hunters.

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.

ruffant_20161217_2.m4a	rufifrons (Ctl NSW)	Contact calls(?)	© MD
ruffant_20161217.m4a	rufifrons (Ctl NSW)	Warning calls(?)	© MD
ruffant_20150328_2.m4a	rufifrons (NE NSW)	Various	© MD
ruffant_me_20200927.m4a	intermedia (N QLD)	Contact call(?)	© ME

More Rufous 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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