Blue-and-White Flycatcher

One of the three beautiful Lazuline songbirds.

Scientific name	Cyanoptila cyanomelana
English name	Blue-and-White Flycatcher
Japanese name	大瑠璃
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Muscicapidae
Genus	Cyanoptila
Species	cyanomelana
Full length	16cm
Distribution	Distributed in East Asia, including Japan. Winters as far as the Indochinese Peninsula. In Japan, it can be seen in all areas except the Southwest Islands.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Characteristics and Morphology

A beautiful blue Muscicapidae bird, about the size of a sparrow. Males and females have different colors.
The iris and beak are black. The tail feathers are shallowly concave. The legs are lead-colored.

Male

The entire body is blue. It may appear blackish when seen in the forest.
The area from around the eyes to the neck is jet black. The top of the head to the back is a bright blue. The back towards the tail is a beautiful blue. Some black feathers can be seen here and there. The ventral side is black up to the chest, and white from the chest down.

Female

The entire body is a plain brownish color.
The head is a slightly faded brown. The chest is brown, but becomes whiter towards the abdomen. Unlike the male, it has a gradation. The tail feathers are a brighter brown than the head.
It closely resembles the female Narcissus Flycatcher, but while the Narcissus Flycatcher has a slight greenish tinge to its brown color, the Blue-and-white Flycatcher is only brown.

Song

The Blue-and-white Flycatcher is also known as a bird with a beautiful song. It sings from treetops in a loud, clear voice that sounds like "pīrīrī." A "jijji" or "chichi" sound may be added at the end of the song.

Listen to the song

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Ecology

Habitat

Prefers forests along mountain streams in low mountains.

Food

Preys on flying insects.

Life Cycle

Nests and breeds on rocky cliffs along rivers. During the breeding season, males sing from prominent treetops.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Photos

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Photos are introduced.
Tap the photo to open the detail page.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Behavior

When a male is singing, it gives the impression that it will continue to sing without paying much attention to observers as long as they are quiet. They may fight over females, and in such cases, they fight fiercely without paying attention to humans.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Information

Naming

The scientific name "cyanomelana" means "blue and black" and is derived from the male's bright blue and black colors.

Lazuline Three Birds

Along with the Siberian Blue Robin and the Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, it is called one of the three Lazuline birds, and is also counted among the three best songbirds in Japan because of its beautiful song. It is also known as a bird with a beautiful song.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Found Locations

Mountain forests in Hachiōji

I photographed it singing in a mountain forest in Hachiōji early in the morning. It seems to have a favorite treetop on a slope facing a stream, and it stayed in the same place for a while.
The Blue-and-white Flycatcher has a loud song, so it is easy to tell where it is even from a distance, but it often sings near the treetops, so it is better to find a good observation point. You can observe it slowly if you can find it near a bridge over a mountain stream.

Blue-and-White Flycatcher Observation Log

These are the observation logs where we found Blue-and-White Flycatcher.

2021-04-25

Many blue-and-white flycatchers were singing in the forest below Mt. Imakuma. I also saw males fighting over females.

2021-05-04

A Blue-and-white Flycatcher was singing in the treetops at the forest entrance. I was able to observe it in a relatively bright spot.

2021-05-04

In the middle of the forest, I heard the voice of a Blue-and-white Flycatcher again. A male was in the treetops of a tall tree. It seemed to be a favorite spot, and it sang in the same place for quite a long time.

2021-05-04

I found another Blue-and-white Flycatcher on the power line along the road leading to the interchange.

2021-05-23

I heard the loud voice of a Blue-and-white Flycatcher in the forest. Fortunately, the thick fog seemed to prevent the flycatcher from seeing me well either.

2021-06-12