CreatureData

Javan forktail

Enicurus leschenaulti (Vieillot, 1818)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) is a species in the family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 33.8 g to 36.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti)
Photo: John Gerrard Keulemans · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the javan forktail

Weight
33.8 g – 36.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
riverinesrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the javan forktail live?

Not recorded

What is the javan forktail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Javan forktail or white-crowned forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) is a species of forktail in the family Muscicapidae. Formally described in 1818, it is endemic to Indonesia. The largest of the forktails, Enicurus leschenaulti, is between 25 and 28 centimetres (9.8 and 11.0 in) long. It has a black throat and breast, black mantle, and largely black wings. The rump and lower back are white, and the bird has a prominent white crown, from which it gets its name. As with other forktails, the tail is long, deeply forked, and banded in black and white. A variety of whistling and clicking calls have been described. Slight morphological differences have been observed between subspecies.

A shy bird, the white-crowned forktail stays near water, and forages on the edges of rivers and streams for invertebrates. Its breeding season is between March and September, and possibly extends till October. Its nests are also built near the water, and are constructed of plant material. The eggs are between two and five in number, though there is latitudinal variation. Multiple broods in a year have been observed in China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its elevational range varies across its range, from a minimum of 185 metres (607 ft) above sea level to a maximum of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). It is categorized as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From the Wikipedia article “Javan forktail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Javan_forktail&oldid=1383861359), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the javan forktail endangered?

The javan forktail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the javan forktail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMuscicapidae
  6. genusEnicurus
  7. SpeciesEnicurus leschenaulti (Vieillot, 1818)

Synonyms Enicurus coronatus, Turdus leschenaulti

Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • White-crowned forktailEnglish
  • White-crowned forktailEnglish
  • White-crowned forktailEnglish
  • enicur de LeschenaultCatalan
  • drozdek bělohlavýCzech
  • robin gynffonfforchog corunwynWelsh
  • Sortbrystet KløfthaleDanish
  • WeißscheitelscherenschwanzGerman
  • Weißscheitel-ScherenschwanzGerman
  • blankakrona enikuroEsperanto
  • Torrentero coroniblancoSpanish
  • sukel-käärsabaEstonian
  • sukeltajahaarapyrstöFinnish
  • Énicure de LeschenaultFrench
  • velika rašljorepkaCroatian
  • fehérfejű villásrigóHungarian
  • Meninting besarIndonesian
  • Codaforcuta capobiancoItalian
  • エンビシキチョウJapanese
  • baltavainikis šakotuodegis strazdasLithuanian
  • baltgalvas dakšasteLatvian
  • WitkruinvorkstaartDutch
  • hvitkronekløftstjertNorwegian
  • widłogon białoczubyPolish
  • torrenteiro-de-coroa-brancaPortuguese
  • torrenteiro-de-testa-brancaPortuguese
  • Белошапочная вилохвосткаRussian
  • vidličiarka korunkatáSlovak
  • Belokapa rašljorepkaSerbian
  • vitkronad klyvstjärtSwedish
  • นกกางเขนน้ำหัวขาวThai
  • นกกางเขนน้ำหัวขาวใต้Thai
  • Ak Alınlı ÇatalkuyrukTurkish
  • вилохвістка білочубаUkrainian
  • Chích chòe nước đầu trắngVietnamese
  • 白冠燕尾Chinese
  • 白額燕尾Chinese
  • 白额燕尾Chinese
  • 黑背燕尾Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the javan forktail

Other species in the same genus Enicurus.

LC, Least Concern

Sunda forktail

Enicurus velatus

MuscicapidaeNo free photo yet

CompareJavan forktail vs Little forktailJavan forktail vs Black-backed forktailJavan forktail vs Spotted forktailJavan forktail vs Slaty-backed forktail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the javan forktail?

An adult javan forktail weighs 33.8 g – 36.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the javan forktail endangered?

The javan forktail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the javan forktail?

The javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) belongs to the family Muscicapidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/javan-forktail

MLA

“Javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/javan-forktail.

BibTeX
@misc{javan_forktail_2026,
  title = {Javan forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/javan-forktail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}