Sooty thicket fantail

The sooty thicket fantail (Rhipidura threnothorax) is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is found in New Guinea.

Sooty thicket fantail
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Rhipiduridae
Genus:	Rhipidura
Species:	R. threnothorax
Binomial name
Rhipidura threnothorax Müller, 1843

Habitats and behavior

The majority of fantails are strong fliers, and some species can undertake long migrations, but sooty thicket fantail as well as the other thicket fantails (white-bellied thicket fantail and black thicket fantail) are very weak fliers, and need to alight regularly.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Taxonomy

According to IOC there are 2 recognised subspecies.^[2] In alphabetical order, these are:

• R. t. fumosa Schlegel, 1871 — Yapen (Geelvink Bay, NW of New Guinea)
• R. t. threnothorax Müller, S, 1843 — Raja Ampat Islands (NW of New Guinea), Aru Islands (SW of New Guinea) and New Guinea