Myophonus caeruleus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The blue whistling thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) is a bird in the Old World flycatchers family Muscicapidae that is found in the mountains of Central Asia, South Asia, China and Southeast Asia. It is known for its loud human-like whistling song at dawn and dusk. The widely distributed populations show variations in size and plumage, with six subspecies accepted. Like others in the genus, they feed on the ground, often along streams and in damp places, foraging for snails, crabs, insects, and fruit.
The blue whistling thrush was formally described in 1786 by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli under the binomial name Gracula caerulea. The specific epithet is from Latin caeruleus meaning "blue". Scopoli based his account on "Le Merle blue de la Chine" that had been described and illustrated in 1782 by the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat in his book Voyage aux Indes orientales et a la Chine. The type locality has been restricted to Canton. The blue whistling thrush is now one of nine species placed in the genus Myophonus that was introduced in 1822 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
Six subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 2 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 4 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Hemis National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 13 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 14 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 15 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 17 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Zürich Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 3 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Whistling-Thrush sighting in Islamabad on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 123 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Whistling-Thrush in Islamabad on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–September, the lowest months. Those are among Islamabad's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in July.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Whistling-Thrush sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Blue Whistling-Thrush sightings, Islamabad ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Srinagar (India, about 30%), Hong Kong (China, about 30%) and Nanjing (China, about 30%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Whistling-Thrush that you can see in Islamabad (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 70%), Indian Chat (about 50%) and Pied Bushchat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Whistling-Thrush is recorded against all the birds logged in Islamabad (79 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
