| Black paradise flycatcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male inKyoto | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Monarchidae |
| Genus: | Terpsiphone |
| Species: | T. atrocaudata |
| Binomial name | |
| Terpsiphone atrocaudata (Eyton, 1839) | |
| Subspecies | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Theblack paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata), also known as theJapanese paradise flycatcher, is a medium-sizedpasserinebird native to southeastern Asia. It is a glossy black, chestnut and white bird, slightly smaller than either theAmur paradise flycatcher orBlyth's paradise flycatcher, but similar in appearance. Males have exceptionally long tails. Females are generally duller in appearance and have shorter tails.
It is a migratory species, breeding in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the far north of the Philippines. Outside the breeding season it migrates to China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, other parts of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra, Indonesia.
The black paradise flycatcher was previously classified with theOld World flycatcher familyMuscicapidae, but the paradise-flycatchers, monarch flycatchers andAustralasian fantails are now normally grouped with thedrongos in the familyDicruridae, which has most of its members in Australasia and tropical southern Asia.
Threesubspecies are recognized:[2][3]
The black paradise flycatcher is similar in appearance to both theAmur paradise flycatcher and Blyth's paradise flycatcher, but is slightly smaller. Mature males have a black hood with a purplish-blue gloss which shades into blackish-grey on the chest. The underparts are off-white to white. The mantle, back, wings and rump are plain dark chestnut. The tail has extremely long black central feathers, which are shorter in immature males. Unlike the Asian paradise flycatcher there is no white morph. The female resembles the male but is duller and darker brown on the chestnut areas. It has black legs and feet, a large black eye with a blue eye-ring, and a short blue bill.
The song is rendered in Japanese astsuki-hi-hoshi, hoi-hoi-hoi, which translates toMoon-Sun-Stars and gives the Japanese name of the bird サンコウチョウ (三光鳥)sankōchō (literally, bird of three lights, i.e. moon, sun, star, fromsan three +kō lights +chō bird).
InJeju-do ofSouth Korea,Gotjawal Forest, a forest formed on a rocky area ofvolcanicAA Lava, is one of the important breeding sites of black paradise flycatcher.[4]
A recent survey detected a steep decline in part of the Japanese breeding population which has presumably occurred because offorest loss and degradation in its winter range.[citation needed]
