Blue-headed Fantail

Found nowhere else in the world but in Luzon and some islands in the Visayas, this fantail prefers to stay in the dark understory. There, its colorful plumage is often not seen in full glory because of the dim lighting.

I got lucky to catch this bird in the open, under partial early morning light, while I was birding at a mountain trail in the Cordillera mountains (North Luzon). The bird is not large, measuring just 180 mm in total length from the tip of the long tail to the tip of bill.

Shooting Info – Elev. 1790 m ASL, Bauko, Mountain Province, Philippines, January 21, 2010, Canon 5D MII +EF 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC II, 700 mm, f/5.6, ISO 640, 1/160 sec, bean bag, manual exposure in available light

Blue-headed Fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps, a Philippine endemic)

Habitat – Forest up to 2000 m.