Over 50, see text Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Most of the species are about 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "fantails", but the Australian willie wagtail is a little larger, and, though still an expert hunter of insects on the wing, concentrates equally on terrestrial prey.

The true wagtails are part of the genus Motacilla in the family Motacillidae and are not close relatives of the fantails.

[2][3] The type species was subsequently designated as Muscicapa flabellifera Gmelin, JF, 1788 by the English zoologist George Gray in 1840.

[7] When the tail is folded it is rounded at the end, but when spread in display or aerial foraging it has a characteristic fan shape that gives the family its name.

Fantails adopt a hunched horizontal posture most of the time, with the wings drooped and held away from the body and the tail half cocked.

There are numerous species in Indonesia, the Philippines and in South East Asia, and the family ranges into southern China, India and the Himalayas.

Some northern and southern species undertake a variety of movements; the yellow-bellied fantail of the Himalayas is an altitudinal migrant, breeding between 1500 and 4000 metres, but moving to lower altitudes (as low as 180 m) in the winter.

Some Australian fantails undertake seasonal migrations, although these show considerable variation even within individual species.

The most adaptable species is the willie wagtail, which is abundant in every habitat type in Australia except for dense rainforest.

The nest, a small cup of grass stems neatly bound together in spider silk, takes around 10 days to construct.

To compensate for the high visibility of the nest fantails will aggressively defend their chicks from potential predators.