Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyornis unicolor Scientific name definitions

16·5–18 cm; 16–19 g. Medium-sized to large, slim and long-tailed , blue (male) or brown-grey (female) flycatcher. Male nominate race is almost entirely cobalt-blue , including brighter blue edges of otherwise sooty tail and edges of darker flight-feathers, and bright blue eyering, except for paler forehead to over eye, blackish lores, slightly paler blue chin to breast and greyer belly to undertail-coverts; iris dark brown; bill black; legs brown to dark grey. Distinguished from very similar Eumyias thalas­sinus mainly by bluer plumage (lacking greenish or turquoise tone), paler band on forehead and pale grey or whitish belly to undertail-coverts. Female has head and most of upperparts brownish-grey or pale tawny, narrow whitish eyering (sometimes a narrow turquoise band on lower forehead), uppertail-coverts rufous-brown, tail rufous-chestnut, underparts mostly pale greyish, paler or whitish on centre of belly and buff undertail-coverts. Juvenile is similar to female but olive-brown above, heavily speckled with buff on head and neck, larger spots of orange-buff on mantle and scapulars; wing and tail as adult but with pale buff tips on median and greater coverts; chin to breast buff, heavily barred or scaled darker brown, becoming whiter with faint barring on flanks and belly. Race <em>diaoluoensis</em> male has upperparts deeper blue than nominate, forehead and eyebrow nearly cobalt-blue, underparts light blue, underwing-coverts grey, edged whitish; <em>cyanopolia</em> is smaller than nominate, male brighter blue above, undertail-coverts darker grey and tinged rufous, female has greyer crown, more rufous in edges of wing and tail and warmer buffish-brown wash on underparts.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Food items not well known, but include small invertebrates . Solitary or in pairs; occasionally joins mixed-species flocks. Fairly shy or inconspicuous; when perched, stance more horizontal than that of Eumyias. Forages in typical flycatcher fashion, pursuing passing insects in aerial flight, usually returning to different perch ; forages also among branches of middle and upper canopy of forest trees, and occasionally lower or near ground. Flicks tail and droops wings when agitated.

Song , given Mar–Jun and again in Sept in Malay Peninsula, rich and melodious and thrush-like (differing in tone and quality from those of congeners), a series of descending “chi, chuchichu-chuchichu-chucchi”, often starts hesitantly with one or two short, hard “chik” notes, then accelerating and rising up scale, and often ending with a harsh “chizz”; also a similar descending series, levelling out in last 3 notes, “fee-fee-dee, fee fee dah dah dah, dee dii di”. Call a soft and fairly typical “tr-r-r-r” when alarmed.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon in most of range. Uncommon in NE India; range formerly extended to W but no recent records. Rare and local in Nepal; frequent in Bhutan. Uncommon in S China and throughout most of SE Asia; uncommon to locally common in Malay Peninsula. Rare in Sumatra and Borneo; uncommon in Java. On Hainan, race diaoluoensis is rare.