Mangrove Blue Flycatcher
Cyornis rufigastra
Bright blue-and-orange flycatcher of coastal woodlands; found in mangroves, mangrove edge, coastal scrub, and plantations. Can be common on small, forested offshore islands where other blue flycatchers are absent. Male and female are similar, but the female has lighter orange underparts and a pale patch between the eye and the base of the bill. Habitat generally serves to identify this species, but also note extent of orange underparts, pale blue patch on the forehead, short bill, and dark rump and tail. Both sexes sing, giving a short but beautiful series of fluty whistles. Calls include a fast buzzing rattle and tapping notes, comparable to rocks being struck together.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cyornis rufigastra
- Authority
- (Raffles, 1822)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Cyornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Adorable inhabitant of subalpine coniferous and mixed forests. Plain white face, extended black cap, and orange underparts are distinctive within its range. Mainly forages along trunks but can often be seen perched out on an exposed branch or treetop. Usually found in pairs or small groups. Follows other species in mixed species feeding flocks. Gives long extended bleats and single crisp notes.
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Burly gray cuckooshrike with dark eyes and a heavy bill. Endemic to the southern and east-central Philippines, from Bohol east to Samar, and south to Mindanao and Basilan. Both male and female are gray above and barred black-and-white below. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest and forest edge, where forages at middle and upper levels, sometimes associating with other species. Gives a range of high-pitched and scratchy calls, including doubled screeching notes: “whee-wheet!” Formerly treated as part of a more broadly-defined “Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike”.
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