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Malaysian Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica)

Malaysian Pied Fantail

Rhipidura javanica

Least Concern

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XC780998 · Pichard Olivier · Noen Hom, Mueang Prachinburi District, Prachin Buri, Thailand · CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

The Malaysian pied fantail, or Sunda pied fantail (Rhipidura javanica), is a bird in the fantail family that was previously considered conspecific with the Philippine pied fantail. It is locally known in Malay as murai gila, which translates literally to 'crazy thrush'.

Habitat

Found across Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, this species inhabits a wide variety of forest and scrub, including parks, agricultural lands, and other degraded habitats. It resides in lowland areas, sometimes up to 800m in elevation, and is usually found near water.

Diet

This bird feeds on insects caught on the wing. It often joins mixed feeding flocks with other insectivorous birds and will sometimes follow large mammals to eat insects stirred up by their movement.

Did you know?

The nest is constructed from fibers and grasses that are held together with spiderweb. Despite its name implying a relationship with thrushes, the local Malay term murai gila literally means 'crazy thrush'.

Sources