Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)

Other Names (World)
Blue Whistling-Thrush, Whistling-thrush, Large Whistling-thrush, Violet Whistling-thrush, Himalayan Whistling-thrush (temminckii), Blue Whistling Thrush

Family
Muscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers And Chats)

Size
29 - 35 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Scopoli, 1786)

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical montane moist forests near streams and rivers. From 1,100 - 4,000 m.

Range (Guide)

Afghanistan (B) (NB), Bangladesh, Bhutan (B), Cambodia (B), China (mainland) (B), India (B), Indonesia (B), Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (B), Laos (B), Malaysia (B), Myanmar (B), Nepal (B), Pakistan (B), Tajikistan (B), Thailand (B), Turkmenistan (B), Vietnam (B).

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
A sharp, piercing whistle. A harsh 'dzhee'. A loud, screeching 'eer-ee-ee', 'kreee' or 'scree' uttered in alarm. Song is a disjointed series of loud, beautiful whistles, interspersed with harsh or grating notes, terminating in a rising 'tzeeet-tzuit-tzuit-zuit-zuit'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (135)...)

Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) [XC879325]
by Geoff Carey from Pak Sha O, Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong, China (call)

Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) [XC879326]
by Geoff Carey from Pak Sha O, Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong, China (call)

Subspecies
Subspecies flavirostris has been considered possibly to merit full species status, but basis for such a separation unclear. Birds from Tien Shan south to Pamirs described as subspecies turcestanicus, but considered inseparable from temminckii.

The following 6 subspecies are recognised:

temminckii Vigors, 1831 - Western Tien Shan south to Afghanistan, and east through Himalayas and eastern Assam to central China (east to north, western and south-western Sichuan) and northern and north-eastern Myanmar.
eugenei Hume, 1873 - Central, eastern and south-eastern Myanmar, west, northern and eastern Thailand, southern China (central and southern Yunnan) and northern and central Indochina.
caeruleus (Scopoli, 1786) - Central and eastern China.
crassirostris Robinson, 1910 - South-eastern Thailand, Cambodia and Malay Peninsula (south to Kedah on western coast and Haadyai on east).
dichrorhynchus Salvadori, 1879 - Malay Peninsula (south of Kedah and Pattani) and Sumatra.
flavirostris (Horsfield, 1821) - Java.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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