Spotted forktail

Spotted forktail
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Enicurus
Species:	E. maculatus
Binomial name
Enicurus maculatus Vigors, 1831

The spotted forktail (Enicurus maculatus) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.

It is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.Features: 25 cm with long tail. Sexes alike. White forehead, fore crown; black crown,nape;black back spotted white; broad, white wing-bar, rump; deeply forked, graduated black and white tail; black till breast, white below. The white spotted back easily identifies this species from other similar sized fork-tails in the Himalaya. Solitary or in scattered pairs; active bird, moving on mossy boulders at water's edge or in mid- stream; long, forked tail gracefully swayed, almost always kept horizontal; flies low over streams, calling; sometimes rests in shade of forest; commonly seen bird of the Himalaya. Food: aquatic insects, molluscs. Voice: shrill, screechy KREE call, mostly in flight; also some shrill,squeaky notes on perch. Range: the Himalaya; breeds mostly 1200-3600m; descends to about 600m in winter. Habitat: boulder- strewn torrents, forest streams, road side canals.

Spotted forktail in Pangot Uttarakhand

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Enicurus maculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.