Asian Fairy-bluebird

Male
Photo © by Dr Manjeet Singh
FRIM, Malaysia, March 2011

Irena puella

Identification

Size 21·2–25·8 cm (8½-10¼ in)
Male: shining blue crown,mantle,rump and undertail coverts contrasting with velvety black head,throat,belly and tail diagnostic.
Female: blue-green plumage with blackish primaries.
Iris is red in both sexes, .

Distribution

Female
Photo © by jaray
Kangkrajan National Park, Thailand

India & Myanmar through south east Asia to the Greater Sundas and the Philippines.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Five subspecies are known^[1]:

• I. p. puella

• India to Myanmar, Thailand and Indochina

• I. p. malayensis:

• Malaysia

• I. p. crinigera:

• Sumatra, Borneo and adjacent islands

• I. p. turcosa:

• Java

• I. p.tweeddalei:

• Philippines (Palawan, Busuanga, Balabac, Culion and Calamian)

Habitat

Forest and Forest Edges.

Behaviour

Diet

Frequents the canopy and middle story. They often congregate in fruiting trees and shrubs with other frugivores. Their diet consists mostly of fruit ranging from small berries to figs, and in some areas they like nectar. Sometimes hawks after flying insects at the forest edges.

Vocalisation

Recording by Andrew Whitehouse
Bukit Timah, Singapore June 2009

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Asian Fairy-bluebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_Fairy-bluebird

External Links

Search for photos of Asian Fairy-bluebird in the gallery