Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus)
About the Slaty-backed Forktail
The slaty-backed forktail (Enicurus schistaceus) is a species of forktail in the family Muscicapidae. A slim, medium-sized forktail, it is distinguished from similar species by its slate grey forehead, crown, and mantle. It has a long and deeply forked tail banded in black and white, a white rump, and a white bar across its primary feathers; the rest of the plumage is predominantly white. 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. It breeds between February and July, laying 3–4 pinkish, bluish, or white eggs; both sexes incubate the eggs.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 36 recordings for this species: 9 CC BY-NC-SA · 4 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- Ashy DrongoDicrurus leucophaeusrecording
- Asian KoelEudynamys scolopaceusrecording
- Asian Palm SwiftCypsiurus balasiensisrecording
- Banded Bay CuckooCacomantis sonneratiirecording
- Barn SwallowHirundo rusticarecording
- Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticoraxrecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.