The rufous-vented paradise flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found from southern Cameroon to eastern and central Democratic Republic of the Congo and north-western Angola. This species readily hybridizes with the genetically similar African paradise flycatcher. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps and shrub-dominated wetlands.
Region
Congo Basin and adjacent Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Cameroon through Gabon, Congo, and into central and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, reaching northwestern Angola. It favors swamp forests, riparian thickets, seasonally flooded woodland, and shrub-dominated wetlands. Also uses edges of lowland evergreen forest and secondary growth near water. Tends to keep to shaded, tangled understory close to streams and pools.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A Central African monarch flycatcher, it often keeps to dim, swampy undergrowth where it sallies out to catch insects. Males can show elongated tail streamers, while both sexes have a distinctive rufous vent that gives the species its name. It readily hybridizes with the closely related African paradise flycatcher in areas of contact.
Temperament
shy and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile sallies
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs within dense, wet undergrowth. During breeding, pairs build a small cup nest suspended in forks over water or in low shrubs; both sexes likely share incubation and chick-rearing. Territorial behavior is moderate, centered on prime foraging and nesting spots along streams.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls are soft, whistled phrases interspersed with sharp chips. The song is a gentle, repetitive series delivered from shaded perches, often difficult to locate in dense vegetation.
Plumage
Sleek, soft plumage with dark head and breast contrasting with warmer chestnut upperparts; underparts grayish with a distinct rufous vent and undertail coverts. Male may show elongated central tail feathers; female is shorter-tailed and duller. Subtle bluish bare skin and bill lend a contrasting facial highlight.
Diet
Feeds primarily on flying and gleaned insects such as flies, moths, beetles, and termites; also takes spiders. Forages by sallying from low to mid-level perches and occasionally gleaning from foliage or aerial hawking over water. Opportunistic around insect swarms after rains.
Preferred Environment
Hunts along shaded stream margins, swampy thickets, and flooded forest edges. Often keeps within a few meters of the ground or water surface, using overhanging branches for cover.
