Myophonus caeruleus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Whistling-Thrush sighting in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 198th most-seen of the 228 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Whistling-Thrush in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
23rd of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Blue Whistling-Thrush sightings, Kuala Lumpur ranks 23rd at under 5%. 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 Kuala Lumpur (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 60%), Asian Brown Flycatcher (about 20%) and White-rumped Shama (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 Kuala Lumpur (20 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.
