If you have enjoyed this series about birding in Southern India, I hope this well-made documentary about the birds of India will further entice you to make a visit. There is some superb footage of a breeding pair of Paradise Flycatchers and their chicks!
The Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia. Males have elongated central tail feathers, and in some populations a black and rufous plumage while others have white plumage. Females are short-tailed with rufous wings and a black head. They feed on insects, which they capture in the air often below a densely canopied tree. This one I saw at Gouri Farms in Gudalur is a mature male.
With an extremely large range and a large population that appears to be stable, they have been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN since 2004. This is great news for birders as we have a lot of opportunites to see this stunning bird. Get your award ticket to Central Asia or South-east Asia and try any of the national parks. Southern India is a great place to start, especially Mudumalai National Park.
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This bird is poetry in motion!
And a good parent (though I wouldn’t want to eat that bug either)!