Black-backed Forktail

The Black-backed Forktail, or occasionally known as the Black-throated Forktail, is a medium-sized bird within the Muscicapidae family, weighing between 25 and 29 grams and measuring 20.5 to 23 centimeters in length. It boasts a striking broad white stripe across its forehead, with a black crown, face, and mantle. The underparts are a stark white, contrasting sharply with the black above. Its wings are predominantly black with a prominent white stripe across the greater coverts. The tail, characteristic of forktails, is long, graduated, deeply forked, and adorned with a white tip and three white bands.

Identification Tips

This species is monomorphic, showing no sexual dimorphism. Adults have a black beak, light pink feet and legs, and a brown iris. Juveniles can be identified by their lack of the white forehead stripe, sooty brown or dull black plumage where adults are black, and a yellowish mandible with a white-edged maxilla.

Habitat

The Black-backed Forktail is found along fast-flowing rivers and streams within temperate forests, as well as subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Distribution

Its range spans across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand. Typically residing below 1,450 meters above sea level, it has been recorded at elevations as high as 2,600 meters.

Behaviour

Described as a shy and solitary bird, it may be seen in pairs or family groups during the breeding season. It exhibits a tail-bobbing behavior when feeding and a scissor-like motion at rest. Its flight is quick and straight, sometimes with slight undulations.

Song & Calls

The call of the Black-backed Forktail is a short, whistled "tseep - dew" or "hurt-zeee," with variations that include a hollow "huu" and a shrill "zeee." When disturbed, it emits a two-syllable call and may also produce a short song.

Breeding

Breeding occurs from March to June. Nests are cups of plant matter located in holes or crevices, and both sexes participate in nest building and incubation. Typically, three pinkish eggs speckled with red-brown are laid.

Similar Species

The Black-backed Forktail can be confused with the Slaty-backed Forktail, but it is smaller and lacks the slaty back. It also has a slimmer bill and a narrower white facial band compared to the White-crowned Forktail.

Diet and Feeding

While the precise diet is unknown, it includes aquatic insects, their larvae, and crustaceans. It forages along streams and rivers, on rocks in midstream, and may occasionally enter the water.

Conservation status

The Black-backed Forktail is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with a stable population estimated to be larger than 10,000 individuals and a range thought to exceed 20,000 square kilometers.