Annobón Paradise-flycatcher
Encyclopedia
The Annobón Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone smithii) is a medium-sized passerine
bird
. It was previously classified with the Old World flycatcher
family Muscicapidae, but the paradise-flycatchers, monarch flycatchers and Australasian fantails
are now normally grouped with the drongo
s in the family Dicruridae, which has most of its members in Australasia
and tropical southern Asia
.
Some authorities, notably the African Bird Club
treat Annobón Paradise-flycatcher as a subspecies of Red-bellied Paradise-flycatcher T. rufiventer smithii.
It is endemic to forests in Annobón
, an island of Equatorial Guinea
.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. It was previously classified with the Old World flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
family Muscicapidae, but the paradise-flycatchers, monarch flycatchers and Australasian fantails
Fantail
Fantails are small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae...
are now normally grouped with the drongo
Drongo
The drongos are a family of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics, the Dicruridae. This family was sometimes much enlarged to include a number of largely Australasian groups, such as the Australasian fantails, monarchs and paradise flycatchers...
s in the family Dicruridae, which has most of its members in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and tropical southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Some authorities, notably the African Bird Club
African Bird Club
The African Bird Club is a United Kingdom registered ornithological charity established in 1992. Its area of interest covers continental Africa, Indian Ocean islands west of 80° East, , and Atlantic Ocean islands on or east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge The African Bird Club (ABC) is a United Kingdom...
treat Annobón Paradise-flycatcher as a subspecies of Red-bellied Paradise-flycatcher T. rufiventer smithii.
It is endemic to forests in Annobón
Annobón Province
Annobón , also known as Pagalu or Pigalu, is an island of Equatorial Guinea. It is located in the South Atlantic Ocean at , about 220 miles west of Gabon and south west of São Tomé Island...
, an island of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
.