Northern Fantail

Description:

Its head and upperparts are mostly dark grey, with a white eyebrow and throat, a narrow grey band across the upper breast and a creamy-buff belly. The feathers of its long tail have white edges and tips, and the tail is often fanned out. Size: 14 – 16 cm long.

Habitat:

Open woodland

Notes:

Diet: flying insects, which are caught in the air by chasing them, usually after launching from the edge of foliage of trees or shrubs. Insects may be caught at all levels of the canopy. Breeding: both parents build the nest in the narrow fork of a tree, 2–5 metres above the ground; it is made of fine grass held together with spider webs. The bottom of the nest may have a long, tapering stem resembling a wine glass. Two or three spotted, pale buff eggs are laid and then incubated both parents for 14 days. Then both parents feed the chicks for 12 days, after which the young fledge.