Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Slaty-backed Forktail

Enicurus schistaceus (Hodgson, 1836)

22–25 cmLength31 gWeight

This black-and-white bird perches on streamside rocks, with a slate-gray head and back and a long, deeply forked tail.

Busiest months: December–February · Most records: China, Malaysia, Thailand

Looks like Black-backed Forktail

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Slate-gray crown and upper back
  2. Black throat and a single fine white stripe on the face
  3. Long, deeply forked black tail with a white tail tip and three white bands
  4. Extensive white on rump and lower back; broad white wing patch

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juvenile lacks white on the forehead, has brown upperparts, and dark scaling on the breast.

Voice

A thin, high-pitched metallic “teenk”, like the call of Little Kingfisher; also a soft “cheet”.

Similar species

Black-backed Forktail
Black-backed Forktail

Very similar; Slaty-backed Forktail has a slate-gray crown and upper back, a slightly larger bill, and slightly less white on the forehead.

Where and when it's recorded

Slaty-backed Forktail has been recorded at 283 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Bukit FraserMalaysia614 records
  2. Doi Inthanon NPThailand353 records
  3. Fuzhou National Forest ParkChina267 records
More places
  1. Khao Yai NPThailand176 records
  2. Mahananda WLS – LatpancharIndia173 records
  3. SattalIndia139 records
  4. Emei Peak NNRChina112 records
  5. Shing MunHong Kong (China)110 records
  6. Moli Rainforest Scenic AreaChina95 records
  7. Da Lat – Ta Nung ValleyVietnam91 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaMalaysiaThailandIndiaVietnamBhutanNepalLaos

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The slaty-backed forktail (Enicurus schistaceus) is a species of forktail in the family Muscicapidae. The sexes look alike. The bird frequents the edges of fast-flowing streams and rivers, where it hunts small invertebrates by hopping among rocks or flying out over the water.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Slaty-backed Forktail?

The Slaty-backed Forktail is about 22–25 cm long and weighs around 31 g.

Where does the Slaty-backed Forktail live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas through Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in China, Malaysia and Thailand.

When is the best time to see the Slaty-backed Forktail?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Slaty-backed Forktail endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Slaty-backed Forktail as Least Concern.

What does the Slaty-backed Forktail eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Slaty-backed Forktail in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
22–25 cm
Weight
31 g
Habitat
Rivers & streams
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
90 mm
Tail
121 mm
Bill
20 mm
Tarsus
25 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Himalayas through Southeast Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus
Enicurus

Other birds in the genus Enicurus

Little ForktailLittle ForktailEnicurus scouleriBlack-backed ForktailBlack-backed ForktailEnicurus immaculatusSpotted ForktailSpotted ForktailEnicurus maculatusWhite-crowned ForktailWhite-crowned ForktailEnicurus leschenaultiBornean ForktailBornean ForktailEnicurus borneensisChestnut-naped ForktailChestnut-naped ForktailEnicurus ruficapillusSunda ForktailSunda ForktailEnicurus velatusWhite-tailed AletheWhite-tailed AletheAlethe diademataFire-crested AletheFire-crested AletheAlethe castaneaKaroo Scrub RobinKaroo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeus
Slaty-backed Forktail

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Mildeep. ↗

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