Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Cyanoptila cumatilis
Family: Chats, Old World Flycatchers, and Allies · Status: Rare migrant · Size: 18 cm · Conservation: Near Threatened
Breeds in central and east-central China; winters to the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java.
Adult male has turquoise to azure-blue upperparts, slightly darker turquoise head-sides, throat, and breast, with rest of underparts white. Depending on the viewing conditions, the throat, breast, and face may appear almost concolourous with the rest of the upperparts or only slightly darker, unlike adult male Blue-and-white, which always shows more pronounced contrast. 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 Blue-and-white Flycatcher in the field; subadult males are also often not separable, but from ~Dec onwards some individuals gain turquoise feathers on the throat, breast, and face which would not be found in Blue-and-white. Female is also superficially similar to female/subadult Narcissus Flycatcher but is much bulkier, with a proportionally longer tail, and a larger, longer bill.
Forest, parks, gardens, and wooded areas.
Forages mainly at mid-stratum and canopy levels.