| Bates's Paradise Flycatcher | |
|---|---|
 Male | |
| Information | |
| Range | Cameroon and the south-western Central African Republic through Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo south as far as north-west Angola. |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Monarchidae |
| Genus | Terpsiphone |
| Species | Terpsiphone batesi |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The Bates's paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone batesi), is a species of paradise flycatcher in the Monarchidae family. It is native to Central Africa. It is was formerly included in the rufous-vented paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufocinerea) but is now often regarded as a separate species. Its name commemorates the American ornithologist George Latimer Bates.
It is usually 18 centimetres long but males in parts of Cameroon and Angola have elongated central tail-feathers making them 23-28 centimetres long. The head and underparts are blue-grey while the upperparts are rufous. The sexes are similar in coloration. The song is a series of ringing "tswee" notes.
The rufous-vented paradise flycatcher is similar in appearance but has a darker head with a crest and males always have elongated central tail-feathers.
It inhabits the understorey of forests. It occurs from Cameroon and the south-western Central African Republic through Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo south as far as north-west Angola. There are two subspecies: Terpsiphone batesi batesi in the north and Terpsiphone batesi bannermani in the south.