Long-tailed Birds

Birds sport long tails for various purposes — balance during flight, precise steering capabilities, communication cues such as health and social status displays, and to attract a mate. Scientists have stated that longer tails in birds likely evolved to enhance mating success by making them visually striking. This is evident in birds like the Long-tailed Widowbird and Greater Bird-of-Paradise, which are celebrated for their unique tail feathers. Most of these birds are even considered exotic.

Long-tailed Birds

Different Types of Long-tailed Birds

In most bird species, males have more distinctive plumage and are more likely to have larger tail feathers, which are often used to court potential mates. The birds listed in the table are those with tails that are at least as long as their body length.






Species		Body Length (in inches)Tail Length (in inches)Tail CharacteristicsWhere They Can Be Found
Pheasants and Allies
Reeves’s Pheasant80-8394-95Intricately patterned tail, with a mix of white, brown, and black feathersCentral and Eastern China
Malayan Crested Argus6-2666-6812 feathers in their tails, which are considered the widest among all birdsMalaysia
Vietnamese Crested Argus6-2666-68Same type and number of tail feathers as the Malayan Crested ArgusVietnam and Laos
Great Argus22-2341-56Elongated tail feathers and secondary wing feathers with big eyespotsParts of Southeast Asia, like Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula
Indian Peafowl39-4538-44Iridescent tail feathers with eye-like patternsIndian Subcontinent
Lady Amherst’s Pheasant9-1729-31Grayish white tail feathers with black bars and red streaks at the baseNorthern Myanmar to southwestern China
Golden Pheasant11-1324-31The female’s tail is longer. Central tail feathers are black with cinnamon spots and a cinnamon buff tip. Upper tail coverts are the same colorWestern China
Common Pheasant13-1518-20Black tail with brown streaksThe Balkan region to mainland China and Taiwan
Passerine Birds
Ribbon-tailed Astrapia11-1236-39Tail consists of two white, ribbon-like feathersPapua New Guinea
Greater Bird-of-Paradise14-1734-36Yellow tail feathers with white borders raised in an erect position during courtshipAru Islands in Indonesia and southwest New Guinea
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo9-1131-46Tail feathers end in racket-shaped extensionsSoutheast Asia
Superb Lyrebird15-182-2816 tail feathers include 2 outer “lyrates” (broad, S-shaped, brown, and buff-patterned), 12 flexible silvery feathers, and 2 central silvery feathersSoutheastern Australia
Long-tailed Widowbird6-817-20Tail consists of 12 narrow black feathersAngola, Kenya, Zaire, Botswana, and South Africa
Long-tailed Paradise Whydah9-1013-14Tail made up of flowing black feathersSub-Saharan Africa
Taiwan Blue Magpie10-1213-17Blue with white tips, with the central feathers being the longestTaiwan
Fork-tailed Flycatcher4-511-12Forked tail longer than its bodyCentral Mexico to Argentina
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher6-78-9Forked tail that is black dorsally and white ventrallyNorthern Mexico and parts of the United States
Seabirds
Long-tailed Jaeger4-129-11Two central pointed tail feathersHigh Arctic of Eurasia and North America
Quetzals
Resplendent Quetzal14-1612-40Iridescent green tail feathers, which consist of central plumes and streamersRanges from Panama to Mexico
Motmots
Turquoise-browed Motmot4-58-9Long tail with racquet-like tips, often swung like a pendulumCentral America
Hummingbirds
Marvelous Spatuletail1-24-5Two outer tail feathers with bare shafts that cross each other, ending in large purplish-black spatules or “racquets”Peru
Red-billed Streamertail4-54-5Tail feathers are black with a green glossJamaica
Black-billed Streamertail4-54-5Similar to the red-billed, tail feathers are black with a green glossEastern Jamaica
Long-tailed Sylph1-34-5The upper surface of their tail feathers is iridescent blue, green, and violet, and the underside is bluish blackBolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela

Many other birds have distinctive long tails, such as the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, the Long-tailed Hawk, and the White-tailed Tropicbird. However, their tails, while long, are not longer than their bodies. Additionally, some birds, like Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise, feature uniquely curved tails that stand out.

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