Blue Whistling Thrush

Photo © by Neil
Hong Kong, China, March 2005

Myophonus caeruleus

Identification

29–35 cm (11½-13¾ in)

• Dark blue plumage
• White speckled head, back and upper belly
• Dark iris and legs

Distribution

Asia: found in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Hong Kong
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java

Subspecies temminckii
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Kainchi Ashram, Bhowali, Alt. 4800 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, April-2011

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

• M. c. temminckii:

• Central Asia to northern India, Pakistan, south-eastern Tibet and Myanmar

• M. c. eugenei:

• North-eastern Assam to southern Myanmar, northern Thailand, south-western China and Indochina

• M. c. caeruleus:

• Western China (Sichuan); winters to southern China and northern Indochina

• M. c. crassirostris:

• Peninsula and extreme south-eastern Thailand to northern Malaysia

• M. c. dichrorhynchus:

• Central and southern Malaysia; winters in the foothills of western Sumatra

• M. c. flavirostris

• Foothills and montane forests of Java

Habitat

Found in a wide variety of habitats from urban parks and gardens, woodlands and coniferous forests; rocky cliffs and gullies and limestone caves. Has been observed at heights around 4000 feet. Also found in islands off the Thai peninsula.

Behaviour

Commonly flicks tail and perches in exposed areas. Call is a high, piercing whistle.

Diet

Their main diet consists of invertebrates, such as ants, slugs, snails, crabs, froglets, dung beetles, cockchafer larvae and water beetles.

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>Blue_whistling_thrush_2_song.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Call recorded before day-break, at 5 am; Nainital, Uttarakhand Himalayas, Alt. 6600 ft, India; April-2011
<flashmp3>Blue_whistling_thrush_song.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Both recordings by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5500 ft., Almora, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, Oct.-2016
Morning song by one individual.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue Whistling Thrush. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue_Whistling_Thrush

External Links

Search for photos of Blue Whistling Thrush in the gallery

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• View movie-clip (in Google-Video format) here