Blue Rock Thrush

This species is defined as a rarity. Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page.

Scientific Name: Monticola solitarius
Malay Name: Tarum Biasa
Chinese Name: 蓝矶鸫

Range:
Found from southern Europe to Northwest Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy:
Polytypic. Subspecies are: solitarius, longirostris, pandoo, philippensis, madoci.

Local Subspecies: philippensis, pandoo

Size: 21-23 cm

Identification:
Non-breeding male has dull greyish-blue plumage with blackish and white bars/scales and distinctive chestnut lower breast to vent while breeding male is bluer overall and lacks bars/scales. Female and juvenile resemble male but lack the chestnut plumage.

Habitat: Forest and mostly in urban areas.

Behaviour/Ecology: Attracted to gardens located in high-rise buildings.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Past accepted records in our database: (not a complete listing)

Photos:

Male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Subadult male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cheah
Subadult male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cheah
Subadult male Blue Rock Thrush at Sentosa. Photo Credit: Jonathan Cheah
Male Blue Rock Thrush at Pinnacle@Duxton. Photo Credit: Alan Ng
Male Blue Rock Thrush at Pinnacle@Duxton. Photo Credit: Alan Ng

External Links:
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Photos: Oriental Bird Images
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Blue Rock-Thrush)

References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Monticola solitarius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22708286A87933903.en. Accessed on 19 December 2021

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.