Dull-blue Flycatcher
Eumyias sordidus
Largely all-blue flycatcher, with blue becoming intense on the forehead. Also note black face and pale, grayish belly. A bird of Sri Lanka’s hills and mountains, where it occurs as singles and pairs in the understory of dense, wet montane forest. Told from other largely blue songbirds, such as Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and Black-naped Monarch, by combination of pale grayish belly and bold black marking between the bill and the eyes. Song comprises structured verses of rising and falling warbling notes, “chee-choo-choo-chewee-wee”. Also gives some short “chip” calls.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Eumyias sordidus
- Authority
- (Walden, 1870)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Eumyias
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-banded Flowerpecker
Dicaeum eximium
A tiny, constantly moving bird with a short bill. Head and back are grayish-brown, throat white. Has a red chest band, gray sides of the breast, a white belly with a black stripe, buffy cinnamon flanks, and a crimson rump. Mostly inhabits lowland and hill forest up to 1000 meters of elevation, avoiding open areas and coastal forest. Short bill eliminates confusion with sunbirds and myzomelas. Common call is a harsh “tzick.”
Rufous Gnateater
Conopophaga lineata
Small, compact bird with long legs and a short-tail. Found in the understory of dense humid forests and open woodlands. Note the rufous-orange face and breast, pale collar, olive-brown upperparts, and buffy belly. Males have a bold gray eyebrow which is duller in females, resembling Black-cheeked Gnateater, but with a bicolored bill.
Obscure Berrypecker
Melanocharis arfakiana
A small, rare and little-known bird of foothill forest. Medium gray head and back, pale gray throat and chest, and olive flight feathers. Feeds on small berries in the midstory and sub-canopy. Similar to female Black and Mid-mountain Berrypeckers, but Obscure has an orange base to the bill and a yellow tuft on the sides. Song, a short high-pitch phrase “wichoo-wichiti!”
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