NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rufous Fantail
Rhipidura rufifrons (Latham, 1802)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Australian rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) is a small passerine bird, most commonly known also as the black-breasted rufous-fantail or rufous-fronted fantail, which can be found in Australia.
Characteristic of species that have a large range, the Australian rufous fantail has many subspecies. However the taxonomic treatment of its subspecies and other relatives is still debated. The Australian rufous fantail is easily distinguished by their orange-reddish-brown back, rump and base of tail. They have a black and white breast that grades into a white colour on the chin and throat.
They are migratory, travelling to south-eastern Australia in the spring to breed, and then north in the autumn.
The Australian rufous fantail tends to feed on small insects in the lower parts of the canopy. They are very active birds making short, frequent flights. They may also hop between foliage or on the ground, during foraging.
Although their population is thought to be declining, their relatively large range and abundance make them a species of least concern according to the IUCN.
Wikipedia contributors, Australian rufous fantail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:07:46.181096+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura rufifrons (Latham, 1802)
- Name authority
- (Latham, 1802)
- Common name
- Rufous Fantail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Rhipiduridae
- Genus
- Rhipidura
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyRhipiduridae Sundevall, 1872
- genusRhipidura Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- speciesRhipidura rufifrons (Latham, 1802)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhipidura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis (Vieillot, 1818) | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black FantailRhipidura atra Salvadori, 1876 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bismarck FantailRhipidura dahli Reichenow, 1897 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Streak-breasted FantailRhipidura dedemi Oort, 1911 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown-capped FantailRhipidura diluta Wallace, 1864 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown FantailRhipidura drownei Mayr, 1931 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rusty-bellied FantailRhipidura teysmanni Büttikofer, 1892 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sooty Thicket FantailRhipidura threnothorax S. Muller, 1843 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pohnpei FantailRhipidura kubaryi Finsch, 1876 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rhipidura nigritorquis Vigors, 1831 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kadavu FantailRhipidura personata E. P. Ramsay, 1875 | RhipiduridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178692 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6X4ZL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.