Terpsiphone paradisi

Geographic Range

Asian Paradise Flycatchers ( Terpsiphone paradisi ) are migratory birds native to the Oriental Region. Their range spans from the southernmost areas of Kazakhstan to the southernmost tip of India and the southeast Asian islands.They migrate as far south as Malaysia in the winter months, but spends warmer months in India and bordering countries. During their breeding season, which lasts from March to July, Asian Paradise Flycatchers are found on the southern side of the Himalayan mountain range in western China and central Asia, as far north as Kazakhstan.

• Biogeographic Regions
• oriental oriental
  • native native

Habitat

Asian paradise flycatchers are most frequently found in deciduous, evergreen, and bamboo forests with thick shrubbery on the ground. They typically live in areas with an average annual rainfall between 600 mm and 2,000 mm, consistent with temperate forest and tropical rainforest biomes. Asian paradise flycatchers are found at elevations ranging from 0 to 1,500 m above sea level, with an average of 1,000 m.

Asian paradise flycatchers tend to nest in areas near streams that dry up during certain times of the year. They mostly nest in trees or saplings 1 to 2 m above the ground, in areas that are shrouded by greenery and away from roads.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• rainforest rainforest

• Other Habitat Features
• urban urban
• suburban suburban
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Asian paradise flycatchers have differing appearances based on their sex and level of maturity. Males reach sizes slightly larger than females. They have ten primary feathers and twelve tail feathers. Their legs are feeble and therefore they are almost exclusively arboreal. This species tends to be smaller than other closely-related flycatchers and males are distinguishable by their long tail feathers.

Males are characterized by their exceptionally long pair of central tail feathers, which can extend up to 25 cm past the other tail feathers. Not all males develop these long central tail feathers. The eye rings of males are bold and blue. Males can occur in two morphs: rufous (reddish-brown) and white. Males may have black lines on their outer wings, which are black underneath. Their tail feathers may have black edges. The heads of males are glossy and either dark green, dark blue, or black. Their undersides are white, and their beaks and legs are light blue. As juveniles, all males are rufous and are similar in appearance to females, but can develop into a white morph after their second year. Many males remain a rufous morph for their entire lives. The rufous morph is more common than the white morph. The white morph is more common in the southern areas of their range than in the north.

Females have only a rufous morph, that is light gray or reddish-brown with a white underbelly. They have grey eye-rings and light chestnut tails that are significantly shorter than those of males. Females have glossy crowns and heads that are dull, dark and greenish or grey in color. Some females have grey areas on their necks, the sides of their breasts, and the sides of their faces.

Asian paradise flycatcher nestlings are primarily chestnut colored, with rufous tails and dull-white underbellies. The heads, throats, and chests of chicks are darker than the rest of their bodies. These areas also have hints of rufous color.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger
• sexes colored or patterned differently
• male more colorful
• sexes shaped differently
• ornamentation ornamentation

Reproduction

In one study, it was found that male Asian paradise flycatchers with long tails tended to father larger clutches with heavier birth weights. Additionally, they were observed to breed earlier in the season than short-tailed males. These findings suggest that females prefer males with long central tail feathers, but may also suggest that short tailed males are young and have young mates, and therefore have less reproductive success. The same study noted that the morph of male birds had no correlation to reproductive success.

The exaggerated tail feathers of males is likely present due to sexual selection. This tail does not seem to increase fitness in any other way. This claim is supported by the fact that young birds do not have these long tail feathers. The presence of a long tail might hinder their ability to catch prey and fly.

Asian paradise flycatchers are monogamous and both parents contribute to nest building, brooding, and nestling care. Due to their monogamous behavior, unattractive males are usually still able to breed, but tend to have eggs later in the breeding season than attractive males.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous
• cooperative breeder cooperative breeder

Pairs of Asian paradise flycatchers are iteroparous, meaning they breed multiple times throughout their life. They breed sexually and fertilization happens internally. This species is oviparous.

Asian paradise flycatchers breed from March to July. Breeding pairs typically spend about a week building nests together, using spider webs, sticks, and roots as construction materials. Oftentimes, nests are built in close proximity to drongo (family Dicruridae ) nests for additional protection from predators. After their nests are built, females gestate eggs for 2 to 4 days before laying them. Clutch sizes vary from 2 to 4 eggs, which are light pink and have brownish red speckles. Parents spend 14 to 18 days incubating eggs before they hatch. After chicks hatch, their parents provide 10 to 12 days of additional care.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Male and female Asian paradise flycatchers display a high level of parental investment. Both parents participate in the incubation, protection and provisioning of chicks. Parental involvement lasts between 26 and 34 days total (not including time spent nest-building). Before fertilization, parents construct a nest together. After fertilizing, 2 to 4 days are spent gestating and laying eggs and 14 to 18 days are spent incubating. After hatching, chicks are altricial for a few days. Parents take turns providing food and protection to their young for 10 to 12 days after they hatch.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• male parental care male parental care
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Little is known about the lifespan of Asian paradise flycatchers at this time. However, there is some documentation about nestling mortality rates. Breeding success is impacted by predation and tree-falls. In one study, it was found that only 44.4% of young survived past the nestling phase.

Behavior

Asian paradise flycatchers may be solitary but may also interact with their mates outside of breeding season. They migrate north during their breeding season alone or with their mates. They are motile and relies on flight to catch prey. Asian paradise flycatchers move quickly between branches and have feeble legs that are not suitable for extensive walking on the ground. For this reason, Asian paradise flycatchers are very much an arboreal species. These birds are sometimes found in heterospecific flocks.

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal arboreal
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• migratory migratory
• daily torpor
• social social

Home Range

There is a lack of information regarding the territory size of T. paradisi .

Communication and Perception

Asian paradise flycatchers communicate vocally using a variety of songs and calls. They have a well-developed sense of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. There is limited information about the meanings of different flycatcher songs and calls.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Asian paradise flycatchers are known to eat insects. Their primary adaptation for hunting is sallying (pouncing between tree branches and catching insects midair, also known as flycatching), but they can occasionally be seen gleaning (picking prey from the ground or leaves). They have a notched beak that helps them catch insects. Asian paradise flycatchers will eat insects without wings but typically eat flying insects caught mid-air. The specific species preyed upon by Asian paradise flycatchers are not well documented.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore

• Animal Foods
• insects

Predation

The rufous color morph of Asian paradise flycatchers is most likely an adaptation to camouflage them from predators. This claim is supported by the fact that the rufous morph of males is more common than the white morph. Furthermore, nestlings and females always display a rufous color. As male Asian paradise flycatchers mature, their protective rufous morph may develop into a sexually attractive white morph, but limited numbers of birds with this morph in comparison to rufous birds suggest that that they are more easily predated and thus unfavored by selection.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Asian paradise flycatchers prey upon insects. Other animals in their habitat commonly prey upon their eggs and nestlings. Little documentation exists regarding the specific species that prey on Asian paradise flycatchers. One method of protection against predators is nesting near birds in the family Dicruridae . This commensal relationship can increase the survival rates of Asian paradise flycatcher young.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Asian paradise flycatchers are used in pet trades, as display animals, or for horticulture. They may also be a source of bird watching ecotourism, as implied by their presence in bird watching community forums and bird watching guides.

Asian paradise flycatchers are insectivores and their dietary habits may reduce the presence of insect pest species.

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade
• ecotourism ecotourism
• research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Asian paradise flycatchers on humans.

Conservation Status

Asian paradise flycatchers are categorized as a species of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List. They are not listed in the CITES appendices, the United States Endangered Species Act list, or the protected list of the United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This species is not the target of any ongoing conservation efforts.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Tiffany Deeds (author), Colorado State University, Kate Gloeckner (editor), Colorado State University, Galen Burrell (editor), Special Projects.

References

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