Arafura Fantail

SCI Name:  Rhipidura dryas
Protonym:  Rhipidura dryas Proc.Zool.Soc.London Part X, Meeting of October 11, 1842 p. 132
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Rhipiduridae / Rhipidura
Taxonomy Code:  arafan1
Type Locality:  Port Essington, north coast of Australia.
Author:  Gould
Publish Year:  1843
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

RHIPIDURA
(Rhipiduridae; Ϯ New Zealand Fantail R. fuliginosa) Gr. ῥιπις rhipis, ῥιπιδος rhipidos  fan; ουρα oura  tail; “Fan-tailed Fly-catcher  ... flies always with its tail spread in shape of a fan.” (Latham 1783); "Genus. RHIPIDURA*.  Rostrum breve, depressum, basi latum, apice compressum, culmine arcuato; mandibula superiore apice emarginata; naribus basalibus, ovalibus, setis plumulisque fere obtectis; rictu vibrissis confertis mandibulas longitudine fere superantibus instructo.  Alæ mediocres, subacuminatæ; remige prima brevissima, secunda duplo longiore, tertia et quarta, quæ est longissima, gradatim longioribus.  Cauda elongata, patula, apice rotundata.  Pedes mediocres, graciles, acrotarsiis paratarsiisque integris.  This group may be at once recognised as offering strong marks of distinction from the true Muscicapa in the fan-like structure of the tail.   ...   *'Pιπις flabellum, and ουρα cauda.   ...   1. FLABELLIFERA. ...  Muscicapa flabellifera. Gmel. i. 943. no. 67.  Fan-tailed Flycatcher. Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 184. no. 44. pl. 99.  ...  Fantail.—There is something singular in the habits of this bird. It frequents the small trees and bushes, from whence it suddenly darts at its prey, spreading out its tail like a fan, and to appearance turning over like a tumbler Pigeon, and then immediately returning to the same twig or bough from whence it sprang.   ...   2. MOTACILLOIDES.  ...  It bears a great resemblance to the description of Dr. Latham's Motacilla atricapilla, or the Black-topped Flycatcher of his "General History," but differs in the colour of the bill, back and throat.   ...   3. RUFIFRONS.  ...  Muscicapa rufifrons. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. 1. no. 5.  Rufous-fronted Flycatcher.  Id. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 213. no. 95." (Vigors & Horsfield 1827); "Rhipidura Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 15, p. 246. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 32), Muscicapa flabellifera Gmelin [= Muscicapa fuliginosa Sparrman]." (Mayr in Peters 1986, XI, 530).
Var. Ripidura, Rhipadura, Rhissidura.
Synon. Cyanonympha, Howeavis, Leucocirca, Muscylva, Neomyias, Rhipidicidura, Ripidicala, Rupicula, Sauloprocta, Setosura.

rhipidura / rhipidurus
Gr. ῥιπις rhipis, ῥιπιδος rhipidos  fan; -ουρος -ouros  -tailed  < ουρα oura  tail.

dryas
Gr. myth. Dryas, tree-nymph, dryad; indicating woodland habitat or graceful appearance.
• "It is very elegant, all the parts being admirably proportioned; and the colours harmoniously arranged." (Gould 1855) (Catharus).
• "68. Dryas Hartl.  Simillima praecedenti [Alc. malimbica Shaw]" (Hartlaub, 1854) (subsp. Halcyon malimbica). 
• "Nahe Ph. tr. nesophilus (Riley), der die Gebirge des nördlichen Central-Celebes in der Umgebung des Posso-Sees bewohnt, aber durchschnittlich größer" (Stresemann 1938) (syn. Phylloscopus sarasinorum nesophilus).
• "This species is nearly allied to Rhipidura rufifrons, but differs in being much smaller" (Gould 1843) (Rhipidura).
• "From the indistinct character of the markings of the throat and abdomen, the bird from which the above description was taken would appear to be somewhat immature." (Gould 1842) (syn. Vini ultramarina).

SUBSPECIES

Arafura Fantail (Supertramp)
SCI Name: Rhipidura dryas [semicollaris Group]
RHIPIDURA
(Rhipiduridae; Ϯ New Zealand Fantail R. fuliginosa) Gr. ῥιπις rhipis, ῥιπιδος rhipidos  fan; ουρα oura  tail; “Fan-tailed Fly-catcher  ... flies always with its tail spread in shape of a fan.” (Latham 1783); "Genus. RHIPIDURA*.  Rostrum breve, depressum, basi latum, apice compressum, culmine arcuato; mandibula superiore apice emarginata; naribus basalibus, ovalibus, setis plumulisque fere obtectis; rictu vibrissis confertis mandibulas longitudine fere superantibus instructo.  Alæ mediocres, subacuminatæ; remige prima brevissima, secunda duplo longiore, tertia et quarta, quæ est longissima, gradatim longioribus.  Cauda elongata, patula, apice rotundata.  Pedes mediocres, graciles, acrotarsiis paratarsiisque integris.  This group may be at once recognised as offering strong marks of distinction from the true Muscicapa in the fan-like structure of the tail.   ...   *'Pιπις flabellum, and ουρα cauda.   ...   1. FLABELLIFERA. ...  Muscicapa flabellifera. Gmel. i. 943. no. 67.  Fan-tailed Flycatcher. Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 184. no. 44. pl. 99.  ...  Fantail.—There is something singular in the habits of this bird. It frequents the small trees and bushes, from whence it suddenly darts at its prey, spreading out its tail like a fan, and to appearance turning over like a tumbler Pigeon, and then immediately returning to the same twig or bough from whence it sprang.   ...   2. MOTACILLOIDES.  ...  It bears a great resemblance to the description of Dr. Latham's Motacilla atricapilla, or the Black-topped Flycatcher of his "General History," but differs in the colour of the bill, back and throat.   ...   3. RUFIFRONS.  ...  Muscicapa rufifrons. Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. 1. no. 5.  Rufous-fronted Flycatcher.  Id. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 213. no. 95." (Vigors & Horsfield 1827); "Rhipidura Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 15, p. 246. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 32), Muscicapa flabellifera Gmelin [= Muscicapa fuliginosa Sparrman]." (Mayr in Peters 1986, XI, 530).
Var. Ripidura, Rhipadura, Rhissidura.
Synon. Cyanonympha, Howeavis, Leucocirca, Muscylva, Neomyias, Rhipidicidura, Ripidicala, Rupicula, Sauloprocta, Setosura.

Arafura Fantail (Arafura)
SCI Name: Rhipidura dryas dryas
dryas
Gr. myth. Dryas, tree-nymph, dryad; indicating woodland habitat or graceful appearance.
• "It is very elegant, all the parts being admirably proportioned; and the colours harmoniously arranged." (Gould 1855) (Catharus).
• "68. Dryas Hartl.  Simillima praecedenti [Alc. malimbica Shaw]" (Hartlaub, 1854) (subsp. Halcyon malimbica). 
• "Nahe Ph. tr. nesophilus (Riley), der die Gebirge des nördlichen Central-Celebes in der Umgebung des Posso-Sees bewohnt, aber durchschnittlich größer" (Stresemann 1938) (syn. Phylloscopus sarasinorum nesophilus).
• "This species is nearly allied to Rhipidura rufifrons, but differs in being much smaller" (Gould 1843) (Rhipidura).
• "From the indistinct character of the markings of the throat and abdomen, the bird from which the above description was taken would appear to be somewhat immature." (Gould 1842) (syn. Vini ultramarina).