Blyth's paradise flycatcher

Blyth's paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone affinis), also called the oriental paradise flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is native from southern China to Sumatra and Melanesia. Formerly, it was considered a subspecies of the Asian paradise flycatcher until elevated to species rank by the IOC in 2015.^[2]

Blyth's paradise flycatcher
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Monarchidae
Genus:	Terpsiphone
Species:	T. affinis
Binomial name
Terpsiphone affinis (Blyth, 1846)
Subspecies
See text
Synonyms
Tchitrea affinis

Subspecies

Ten subspecies are recognized:^[3]

• T. a. saturatior - (Salomonsen, 1933): Breeds in the eastern parts of Nepal and northeastern India, in eastern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar; populations occurring in Malaysia migrate northward for breeding.^[4]
• T. a. nicobarica - Oates, 1890: Originally described as a separate species. Found on Nicobar Islands
• T. a. burmae - (Salomonsen, 1933): Found in central Myanmar
• T. a. indochinensis - (Salomonsen, 1933): Found in eastern Myanmar and southern China to Indochina
• T. a. affinis - (Blyth, 1846): Found on Malay Peninsula and Sumatra
• T. a. procera - (Richmond, 1903): Originally described as a separate species. Found on Simeulue (off north-western Sumatra)
• T. a. insularis - Salvadori, 1887: Originally described as a separate species. Found on Nias (off north-western Sumatra)
• T. a. borneensis - (Hartert, 1916): Found on Borneo
• T. a. sumbaensis - Meyer, AB, 1894: Originally described as a separate species. Found on Sumba (southern Lesser Sundas)

The Tenggara paradise flycatcher (T. floris), which is found on Sumbawa, Alor, Lembata and Flores (central Lesser Sundas), was formerly considered a subspecies, but has recently been reclassified as a distinct species.^[5]

References

1. BirdLife International (2017). "Terpsiphone affinis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103716095A119718749. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103716095A119718749.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. "IOC World Bird List 5.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.5.4.
3. "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
4. Rasmussen, P.C.; Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol.2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. pp. 332–333.
5. "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-06-04.

Further reading

• Andersen, M.J.; Hoster, P.A.; Filardi, C.E.; Moyle, R.G. (2015). "Phylogeny of the monarch flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly and novel relationships within a major Australo-Pacific radiation". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 67: 336–347. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.11.010.
• Fabre, P.H.; Irestedt, M.; Fjeldså, J.; Bristol, R.; Groombridge, J.J.; Irham, M.; Jønsson, K.A. (2012). "Dynamic colonization exchanges between continents and islands drive diversification in paradise-flycatchers (Terpsiphone, Monarchidae)". Journal of Biogeography. 39: 1900–1918. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02744.x.