Blue-and-white Flycatcher

Cyanoptila cyanomelana

Family: Chats, Old World Flycatchers, and Allies · Status: Rare migrant · Size: 18 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Breeds across northeastern China, the Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan; winters to Taiwan, Indochina, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, the Philippines, and the Greater Sundas.

Identification

Male has cobalt-blue upperparts, mostly black head-sides, throat, and breast (occasionally with some blue feathers), with rest of underparts white. Pronounced contrast between these black areas and the crown and upperparts enables separation from male Zappey's, which shows turquoise-blue instead of black in these parts, with limited contrast to rest of upperparts. Female has rather uniform brown upperparts and dull brown mottling on breast with contrasting white belly and vent, white throat-patch, and all-black bill. First-winter male resembles female but has blue wings, tail, and back. Females cannot be separated from Zappey's Flycatcher in the field; subadult males are also often not separable, but from ~Dec onwards some individuals gain black feathers on the throat, breast, and face which would not be found in Zappey's. Female is also superficially similar to female/subadult Narcissus Flycatcher but is much bulkier, with a proportionally longer tail, and a larger, longer bill.

Habitat

Forest, parks, gardens, and wooded areas.

Behaviour

Forages mainly at mid-stratum and canopy levels.