A Bird Built Like No Other
The male Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) carries tail feathers that can stretch up to 24 centimetres beyond its body, nearly three times its own torso length. In breeding plumage, the male shifts from a chestnut-and-black form to a white phase so complete it looks like a scrap of cloud that learned to fly. Females stay rufous throughout their lives, which is why most people who spot the white male in a forest understory remember it for years. The species belongs to the family Monarchidae, and it is the only member of that family found across the Indian subcontinent in significant numbers. It is also India's national bird of the state of Jharkhand, though that designation has done little to slow its decline.
