Blue-and-white flycatcher
The blue-and-white flycatcher is a migratory songbird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species is also known as the Japanese flycatcher. It breeds in Japan, Korea, and in parts of north eastern China and the Russian Far East. It winters in South East Asia, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo. This species has been recorded as a vagrant from the Sinharaja Rainforest in Sri Lanka in 2014.
Taxonomy and etymology
The species was first described in 1829 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the Binomial name "Muscicapa cyanomelana". It is now located in the genus Cyanoptila alongside Zappey's flycatcher, which used to be conspecific with this taxon.The genus name comes from ancient Greek: "kuanos" meaning dark-blue; and "ptilon" – plumage. The specific cyanomelana also comes from "kuanos", paired with melas, melanos meaning dark, black.
Subspecies
Two recognized subspecies:C. c. cyanomelana - breeds in Japan and southern Kuril Islands; winters southward to Myanmar, Thailand, and the Greater Sundas.C. c. intermedia - breeds in northeastern China, southeastern Russia, and the Korean peninsula; winters southward to Myanmar, Thailand, and the Greater Sundas.Description
The Blue-and-White Flycatcher is a large and strikingly beautiful flycatcher. The male is deep cobalt blue, with black on the face down to the upper part of the breast and flanks, the rest of the underside white. White is also visible on the base of the outer tail feathers. Immature male has the adult's blue wings but is brown otherwise.The female is smaller on average than the male, with head, face and most of upperparts grey-brown, and pale beige-white on the lower part of the middle of the throat, young males are very similar. The female has a smaller-headed profile than other brown flycatchers in range.
The song is a short, melancholic sounding series of whistles.
Ecology
Habitat
Blue-and-white flycatchers breed in primary and secondary lowland and submontane forests up to 1200m, and also in riverine thickets and plantations. Outside the breeding season, it utilizes coastal woodland, scrub, parks, and gardens, and in Borneo winters at elevations up to 1850m in forested hills, lower montane forest, plantations, and logged lowland forest.These flycatchers are most active in the morning.