Enicurus scouleri
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The little forktail (Enicurus scouleri) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. The specific name commemorates Dr. John Scouler of Glasgow. The sexes are alike, with black and white plumage. Black above, with white forehead; white band in wings extends across lower back, small, black rump patch; slightly forked, short tail with white in outer feathers; black throat, white below.
The little forktail is a bird of mountain streams, waterfalls and small shaded forest puddles; breeding between 1200-3700m. It is found in the Tian Shan and Himalayan mountain ranges, southern China and Taiwan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
They are either solitary or found in pairs. They forage energetically on moss-covered and wet slippery rocks. Their diet consists primarily of aquatic insects, and they plunge underwater to pursue prey. It constantly wags and flicks its tail, occasionally launching short sallies. They are generally silent, save for a rarely uttered sharp 'TZitTzit' call. Wikipedia →
Recording0:17
India · 2023
© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 5 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Forktail sighting in Taroko National Park on a given day, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 147 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Little Forktail in Taroko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Forktail sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Little Forktail sightings, Taroko National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Namdapha National Park (India, about 20%) and Langtang National Park (Nepal, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Little Forktail that you can see in Taroko National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Collared Bush-Robin (about 40%), Plumbeous Water Redstart (about 30%) and Formosan Whistling-Thrush (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Forktail is recorded against all the birds logged in Taroko National Park (108 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.
