Pohnpei fantail
The Pohnpei fantail (Rhipidura kubaryi) is a fantail, known as Likepsir in Pohnpeian, which is endemic to the Pacific island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a bird commonly found in forests and at forest edges. It feeds on insects which it gathers by gleaning amongst foliage or by making short dashes while in the air.
| Pohnpei fantail | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Rhipiduridae |
| Genus: | Rhipidura |
| Species: | R. kubaryi |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhipidura kubaryi Finsch, 1876 | |
It is a small bird (15 cm) with a long, fan-shaped tail which is often fanned or wagged. The plumage is mostly dark grey with a white eyebrow, moustache and tips to the tail feathers. The belly is white and the breast is blackish with white feather edges giving a scaly appearance.
The species is closely related to the rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) but it is darker and duller in appearance with a different song and feeding behaviour.
The scientific name commemorates the Polish naturalist Jan Kubary.
References
- BirdLife International (2016). "Rhipidura kubaryi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22706913A94096905. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22706913A94096905.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- H. Douglas Pratt, Philip L. Bruner & Delwyn G. Berrett (1987), A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific, Princeton University Press.