White-bellied Thicket-Fantail

SCI Name:  Rhipidura leucothorax
Protonym:  Rhipidura leucothorax Ann.Mus.Civ.Stor.Nat.Genova 6 p.311
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Rhipiduridae / Rhipidura
Taxonomy Code:  wbtfan1
Type Locality:  Hatam, New Guinea; error: ?Andai, Geelvink Bay, fide Mayr, 1941, List New Guinea Birds, p. 128.
Author:  Salvadori
Publish Year:  1874
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.

leucothorax
Gr. λευκοθωραξ leukothōrax, λευκοθωρακος leucothōrakos  with white cuirass  < λευκος leukos  white; θωραξ thōrax, θωρακος thōrakos  breast-plate.

SUBSPECIES

White-bellied Thicket-Fantail (leucothorax)
SCI Name: Rhipidura leucothorax leucothorax
leucothorax
Gr. λευκοθωραξ leukothōrax, λευκοθωρακος leucothōrakos  with white cuirass  < λευκος leukos  white; θωραξ thōrax, θωρακος thōrakos  breast-plate.

White-bellied Thicket-Fantail (episcopalis)
SCI Name: Rhipidura leucothorax episcopalis
episcopalis
Late. L. episcopalis  of a bishop, episcopal  < episcopus bishop  < Gr. επισκοπος episkopos  guardian, teacher, overseer.
● "it is closely allied to Muscylva (Rhipidura) PECTORALIS of Homb. et Jacq. and R. maculipennis of G. R. Gray; but it differs from both in having a large white patch on the sides of the neck" (Ramsay 1878) (subsp. Rhipidura leucothorax).