- 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
India & Myanmar through south east Asia to the Greater Sundas and the Philippines.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Five subspecies are known[1]:
- I. p. puella
- I. p. malayensis:
- I. p. crinigera:
- I. p. turcosa:
- 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
<flashmp3>Asian Fairy Bluebird.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Andrew Whitehouse
Bukit Timah, Singapore June 2009
References
- 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/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Asian Fairy-bluebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_Fairy-bluebird
External Links
