The white-tailed flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Leucoptilon. It is found in submountain forests from the eastern Himalayas and northern Myanmar to southern China, western and southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
Region
Eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia (including Sundaland)
Typical Environment
Occurs in submontane and lower montane evergreen broadleaf forests, often along shaded gullies, stream ravines, and dense understory thickets. It favors mature, humid forest with tangled shrubs, bamboo, and vine tangles, but may visit adjacent secondary growth. In Sundaland it keeps to hill forests, while on the mainland it ranges from Himalayan foothills through northern Myanmar to southern China and into Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. It is generally local and patchy where suitable forest persists.
Altitude Range
300–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy, forest-interior flycatcher, it often flicks and fans its strikingly white tail while foraging in the undergrowth. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Leucoptilon, having been separated from the blue flycatchers (Cyornis) on genetic grounds. Typically quiet and unobtrusive, it is more often detected by movement than by voice.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief sallies
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs inside dense understory. Forages by sallying from low perches and dropping to the ground or into foliage to snatch prey. Nests are cup-shaped and well concealed in low forks, banks, or dense vegetation; both parents attend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A soft, thin series of high-pitched whistles and seep notes delivered from cover. Calls include faint ticks and short, sharp contact notes, often given while tail-flicking.
Plumage
Dusky olive-brown upperparts with paler brown underparts shading to buff on the throat and belly; whitish undertail coverts. Tail shows prominent white with contrasting darker central feathers or tip, often flashed when flicked. Bill is broad-based and slightly hooked, typical of flycatchers; sexes are similar, with males sometimes slightly darker.
Diet
Primarily small insects and other arthropods, including beetles, flies, caterpillars, ants, and spiders. Captures prey by quick sallies from low perches and by gleaning from leaves and twigs. Occasionally drops to the ground to pick prey from leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dim, shaded lower and mid understory of humid hill forest, especially along streams, ravines, and dense thickets. Often uses perches 0.5–3 m above ground where visibility into the understory is good.
