Asian Paradise-flycatcher, most beautiful bird of Bangladesh

Asian Paradise-flycatcher is a medium sized crested passerine bird. It’s an uncommon resident and summer visitor of Bangladesh. It usually found in thick forests and other well-wooded habitats of Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet. Local name of the bird is Eshio Shah-bulbuli and also known as Dud-raj. Scientific or Latin name is Terpsiphone paradisi which means a sweet-voice of paradise.

Asian Paradise-flycatcher occurs in two colors morphs, white and rufous. In the white morph, it looks predominantly white except for its glossy black head, throat, ear-coverts, crest, primaries, secondaries and tetials. In the refous morph, it looks rufous from above and grayish from below. Its head, throat, ear-coverts and crest are black like that in white morph. Its 20cm long, weight is 20g, wing 9cm, bill 2.5cm, tarsus 1.7cm, tail 10cm and the main attraction tail-streamer of male is 35cm. The function of the long tail is assumed to be related to sexual selection, with females choosing males based on the length of the tail.

Globally this is also extends through south, east, near east and south-east Asia, including Maldives, China, Japan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Indochina.

Habits and behavior
The Asian Paradise-flycatcher is a noisy bird with a sharp skreek call. It seen alone or in pairs. It feeds on butterflies, bugs, beetles, dragonflies and other large insects. It has short legs and sits very upright whilst perched prominently. They use a variety of foraging techniques, including hawking from a perch, sallying hovering, gleaning, and flush-pursuiting. They bathe in small pools of water in the afternoon by diving from perches.

Breeding and Nesting
Its breeding season is April-August. The female lays 3-4 pink eggs, 2.0cm x 1.5cm each. Egg incubation time takes 15-16 days. It nests on horizontal forks of thin branches. The nest is a tiny cup of grasses, roots, fibers and leaves bound together with cobweb and plastered on the outside with egg-bags of spiders. Paradise-flycatchers like all monarch flycatchers, are monogamous and are generally territorial, although in some cases birds may nest close together and defend the nests together against predators.