
Photo: Siddhesh Sawant · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rhipidura albicollis
Diet
Insects
Habitat
Forest, scrub and cultivation; small cup nest in a tree
Clutch size
3 eggs, about 2cm long
Size
About 19cm
The white-throated fantail is a small passerine about 19 cm long, with a dark fan-shaped tail edged in white and a white eyebrow and throat; the plumage varies a lot between races. Most resemble the Himalayan race, primarily slate grey above and below with a black eye mask. The white-spotted fantail was until recently considered a subspecies (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is insectivorous and often fans its tail as it moves through the undergrowth. The male's call is a valuable tool for detection and identification, and birds use the same song year after year with slow changes. It lays three white eggs with a band of brown spots in a small cup nest in a tree (Wikipedia, general species account).