Blue-and-White Flycatcher

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
Subspecies	---
Full length	16cm
Distribution	East Asia including Japan. In winter, it migrates to the Indochina Peninsula and overwinters. In Japan, it is found outside the Nansei Islands.

Characteristics

A bird of the Flycatcher family with a beautiful male blue. The male has a beautiful blue back from the head to the tail. The area from the eyes to the neck is black and the belly is white. Females have a plain brown color throughout their body.

Along with the red-flanked bluetail and the siberian blue robin, it is called the "Rurisancho" (three kinds of blue birds), and it is also counted as one of the three Japanese songbirds because of its beautiful song.

Calls

The blue-and-white flycatcher is also known as a beautifully singing bird.

A loud and clear voice, "Pilly Lee," is sung on the treetops. At the end of the song, the voices of "jiji" and "chichi" may be added.

Listen

Picture of Blue-and-White Flycatcher

Ecology

It prefers forests along low mountain torrents. Catches flying insects as bait. Breeding males sing on treetops with good visibility. When singing, the male has the impression that if there is no noise, he will continue to sing without worrying too much even if he is observing. Nests are built on rock walls along rivers to breed.

Habitat

In the early morning, I took a picture of singing in a forest in Hachioji, Tokyo. There seems to be a favorite treetop on the tree on the slope facing the swamp, and he stayed in the same place for a while.

The blue-and-white flycatcher makes a loud noise, so it is easy to see where he is from a distance, but since he often sings near the treetops, it is better to devise a place to observe. If you can find it near the bridge over the mountain stream, you can observe it slowly.