Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Terpsiphone incei
Family: Monarch Flycatchers, Paradise Flycatchers, and Shrikebills · Status: Common migrant · Size: 20–22 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Breeds from China, Korea, Japan and southeastern Russia, wintering to Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Indonesia.
Female and first-winter birds show deep maroon-chestnut upperparts and tail; black hood (crown, face and throat) contrasts with greyish upperbreast. Adult male tail streamers can extend to 27 cm or more, rarely seen in Singapore. Adult males occur in white and brown morphs; white birds with nearly all-white plumage and glossy black head cannot be conclusively separated from Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher.
Wooded habitats: broadleaved evergreen forest, secondary growth, mangroves, parks, gardens and offshore islands.
Feeds on insects taken in sallies from a perch or snatched as they flush; usually forages high in the canopy.