Arafura Fantail
Rhipidura dryas
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyRhipiduridae (Fantails)
- GenusRhipidura (Fantails)
- SpeciesRhipidura dryas (Arafura Fantail)
The Arafura fantail (Rhipidura dryas), sometimes known as the wood fantail, inhabits the Lesser Sunda Islands, the northern coast of Australia from the Kimberley to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, including subcoastally in the Top End of the Northern Territory, and southern New Guinea. It is similar to the rufous fantail, from which it has been split taxonomically but, apart from minor overlap in the eastern Moluccas, their geographic ranges are discrete. It is generally duller than the rufous fantail with the rufous colouration more restricted. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Arafura Fantail sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 290 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kakadu National Park
Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys
Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris
Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
Mangrove Fantail
Rhipidura phasiana
Torresian Crow
Corvus orru
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Coracina papuensis
Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus
Paperbark Flycatcher
Myiagra nana
White-gaped Honeyeater
Stomiopera unicolor
Lemon-breasted Flycatcher
Microeca flavigaster
White-throated Honeyeater
Melithreptus albogularis
Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Arafura Fantail in Kakadu National Park?
About 21% of wildlife watchers report a Arafura Fantail sighting in Kakadu National Park, based on 290 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Arafura Fantail in Kakadu National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Arafura Fantail in Kakadu National Park in our monthly data.