(Rhipidura Fliginosa)
Length: 15 cm Common
Distributed throughout Australia. Generally the species is nomadic and migratory. It is a friendly and active bird and is most easily recognised by its constant fanned tail and agile aerial twists and turns.
Both sexes are similar in appearance; grey above, with white eyebrow, throat and tail edges. This species is quite inquisitive and will closely approach an observer. It has a sweet high pitched twittering song. The Grey Fantail is found in most treed habitats. It feeds on flying insects, which it catches by chasing them from the edge of the foliage at all levels in the canopy.
The Grey Fantail builds its nest in a thin tree-fork usually between 2 and 5 metres from the ground. It is made of fine grass bound together with large amounts of spider web. The bottom of the nest is drawn out into a long stem, resembling that of a wine glass. Both parents share nest building, incubation of the eggs and feeding of the young when they hatch.
