Rhipidura dryas
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
The species is typically found in mangroves and other coastal woodland, alongside primary and secondary low-level forest. The species tolerates a wide altitudinal range, from near sea level to around 2000 metres in the Timor part of its range.
It is one of over 60 member species of the genus Rhipidura, commonly known as the fantails.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Arafura Fantail sighting in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Arafura Fantail in Nitmiluk National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arafura Fantail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Arafura Fantail sightings, Nitmiluk National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same genus: Rhipidura
The closest relatives of the Arafura Fantail that you can see in Nitmiluk National Park (genus Rhipidura, Fantails) are Northern Fantail (about 40%) and Willie Wagtail (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arafura Fantail is recorded against all the birds logged in Nitmiluk National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
