Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Uganda, Zambia.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Status LC
Subspecies smithii could be affected by clearance and modification of its habitat for fruit, oil-palm and sugarcane cultivation.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer) [XC719521]
by \u00c9tienne Leroy from Ankasa NR, Ghana (song)
Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer) [XC719523]
by Peter Boesman from Ankasa NR, Ghana (call)
Subspecies
Terpsiphone rufiventer (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into Terpsiphone rufiventer and Terpsiphone smithii following Harrison (1990) and this treatment followed by Collar et al. (1994) and BirdLife International (2000, 2004). However, the distinctiveness of smithii falls within the variation found within rufiventer, and this split is now not considered valid by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.
Often considered conspecific with Bedford's Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone bedfordi), but hybridization restricted to very narrow zone of overlap, where that species and subspecies ignea interbreed at low rate. The two differ also in morphology and other characters. Has hybridized also with Terpsiphone batesi and African Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis). Subspecies smithii often considered a separate species. Subspecies intergrade.
The following 11 subspecies are recognised:
rufiventer (Swainson, 1837) - Senegal, Gambia and western Guinea.
nigriceps (Hartlaub, 1855) - Sierra Leone and Guinea east to Togo and south-western Benin.
fagani (Bannerman, 1921) - Benin and south-western Nigeria.
tricolor (Fraser, 1843) - Bioko I (Fernando Póo).
smithii (Fraser, 1843) - Annobón I. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Annobon Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone smithii).
neumanni Stresemann, 1924 - South-eastern Nigeria, Cameroon and Gabon south to north-western Angola (Cabinda).
schubotzi (Reichenow, 1911) - South-eastern Cameroon, south-western Central African Republic and north-eastern PRCongo.
mayombe (Chapin, 1932) - Southern PRCongo and western DRCongo.
ignea (Reichenow, 1901) - South-eastern Central African Republic and DRCongo south to north-eastern Angola and north-western Zambia.
somereni Chapin, 1948 - Western and southern Uganda.
emini Reichenow, 1893 - South-eastern Uganda, western Kenya and north-western Tanzania.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet