The white-winged fantail was
formally described in 1879 by the Australian ornithologist
Edward Pierson Ramsay based on a specimen that had been collected by
James F. Cockerell on
Guadalcanal in the
Solomon Islands. Ramsay coined the
binomial name Sauloprocta cockerelli. The specific epithet was chosen to honour the collector. This species is now placed with the other fantails in the genus
Rhipidura that was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists
Nicholas Vigors and
Thomas Horsfield. Six
subspecies are recognised: •
R. c. septentrionalis Rothschild &
Hartert, EJO, 1916 –
Buka Island,
Bougainville Island and
Shortland Islands (northwest
Solomon Islands) •
R. c. interposita Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1916 –
Choiseul Island and
Santa Isabel Island (central east
Solomon Islands) •
R. c. lavellae Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1916 –
Vella Lavella and
Ranongga (north
New Georgia group, central west Solomon Islands) •
R. c. albina Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1901 –
Kolombangara,
Kohinggo,
New Georgia,
Vangunu,
Rendova and
Tetepare Islands (central, south
New Georgia group, central west Solomon Islands) •
R. c. floridana Mayr, 1931 –
Nggela Islands (Florida Islands) (central south Solomon Islands) •
R. c. cockerelli (
Ramsay, EP, 1879) –
Guadalcanal (central south Solomon Islands) The
white-gorgeted fantail (
Rhipidura coultasi) was formerly treated as a subspecies. It is endemic to the island of
Malaita in the southeast Solomon Islands. ==References==