Family Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)

Least Concern

Siberian Blue Robin (Larvivora cyane)

Taxonomy

French: Rossignol bleu German: Blaunachtigall Spanish: Ruiseñor azul

Taxonomy:

Motacilla Cyane

Pallas

, 1776,

Dauria, between the Onon and Argu Rivers, south-east Transbaikalia, Russia

Sometimes placed in genus Erithacus. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution

L. c. cyane (Pallas, 1776) – extreme NE Kazakhstan (W Altai)#R, SC Siberia and N Mongolia; non-breeding S China (W Yunnan) and SE Asia (from C Myanmar E to Borneo).

L. c. bochaiensis Shulpin, 1928 – E Siberia, NE China (N Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang) and Korea; non-breeding mainly in Cambodia, Vietnam, S Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.

L. c. nechaevi (Red'kin, 2006) – Sakhalin, S Kuril Is and Japan; non-breeding unknown beyond SE Asia.

Descriptive notes

13–14 cm; 11–18 g. Male nominate race is slaty-blue from crown to tail, black on face extending across neck side to flanks; white chin to vent and undertail-... read more

Voice

Song, by male throughout breeding period, a loud, rapid, explosive trilling “tri-tri-tri-tri... read more

Habitat

Breeds in deep taiga consisting mainly of spruce (Picea), fir (Abies), birch (... read more

Food and feeding

Insects (including bugs, beetles and ants), berries and grass seeds reported in China, summer; also “small clams”. Food brought... read more

Breeding

Jun–Jul in Russia, and May–Jul in China and Japan. Territory in Japan averages 1 ha in deciduous forest, 0·5 ha in... read more

Movements

Migrant. Autumn departure Japan late Aug to early Oct; few records from Ryukyu Is, suggesting... read more

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common breeder in extensive range in Russia and common breeder in N Japan; generally scarce in China, only locally numerous in Korea... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Muscicapidae

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In past, traditionally treated as an outsize family that also included expanded versions of Sylviidae, Timaliidae and Turdidae; these three were subsequently split off as three separate families, but still in much expanded form as compared to their current treatment. Since publication of HBW, limits of all these families have been dramatically rewritten due to a barrage of occasionally contradictory molecular data. Within present family problems remain, particularly due to incomplete taxon sampling, but near-complete screening to species level has now been attempted for at least a handful of genera (notably Oenanthe and Saxicola), and large elements of consensus have emerged, among them the recognition of four principal lineages, here treated as subfamilies. Most notable development involves transfer of many genera from Turdidae to present family, including Alethe, Cichladusa, Heteroxenicus, Brachypteryx, Heinrichia, Myophonus, Monticola, Thamnolaea, Myrmecocichla, Pogonocichla, Swynnertonia, Stiphrornis, Sheppardia, Cossypha, Xenocopsychus, Irania, Luscinia, Erithacus, Tarsiger, Cercotrichas, Copsychus, Phoenicurus, Saxicola and Oenanthe. Genetic sampling has also revealed extensive paraphyly, with the result that many species have switched genera. Some genera have disappeared completely into synonymy (e.g. Erythropygia), and others have shrunk to just one or two species (e.g. Luscinia), while a few have become substantially larger (e.g. Cercotrichas, Oenanthe).

Subfamily: Saxicolinae

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Apart from Vauriella and Ficedula, all genera previously placed in Turdidae.

Genus: Larvivora Hodgson, 1837

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Genus recently resurrected to resolve polyphyly in genus Luscinia (as traditionally constituted)#R #R; L. ruficeps (which, like several other members of this genus, has also been placed in Erithacus) confirmed recently to belong within Larvivora on basis of multiple characters, including genetics#R.

See full taxonomic structure and notes

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