African Paradise Flycatcher
Terpsiphone viridis
Also known as: Paradise Flycatcher
Habitat
Canopy
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
13 g
About This Species
Look for a slim, long-tailed bird sallying out from a shaded perch in woodland, forest edge or riverine thicket across sub-Saharan Africa, chasing flying insects in short aerial loops before returning to the same branch. Males in breeding plumage trail long white or chestnut tail streamers that make the display flight unmistakable even in dense cover. Activity peaks around dawn and dusk, and a scratchy, chattering call often gives away its position in the canopy before it comes into view.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Stay back far enough that the bird continues foraging normally rather than freezing or flushing, and never approach a nest to see eggs or chicks, since flycatchers will abandon a nest disturbed too often.
- Wildlife protection law for native birds varies across its range of sub-Saharan African countries, so check local rules before handling or closely approaching any nest site.
- Watching quietly from a fixed spot near a known perch is more productive and less disruptive than following the bird through the canopy.
LCAvesPasseriformesMonarchidae
Seasonal Activity
195,560 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Canopy
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 13 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.