Cyanoptila cyanomelana
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana) is a migratory songbird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species is also known as the Japanese flycatcher. It breeds in Japan, Korea, and in parts of north eastern China and the Russian Far East. It winters in South East Asia, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo. This species has been recorded as a vagrant from the Sinharaja Rainforest in Sri Lanka in 2014.
The species was first described in 1829 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the binomial name Muscicapa cyanomelana, and was transferred to its own genus Cyanoptila by Edward Blyth in 1847, on the basis of structural differences from other flycatchers, including its wing length and bill dimensions.
The genus name comes from ancient Greek; "kuanos" meaning dark blue, and "ptilon", plumage. The specific cyanomelana also comes from "kuanos", paired with melas, melanos meaning dark, black. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-and-white Flycatcher sighting in Sapporo on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 41st most-seen of the 72 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-and-white Flycatcher in Sapporo on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-and-white Flycatcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Blue-and-white Flycatcher sightings, Sapporo ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Daejeon (South Korea, about 10%), Sendai (Japan, about 10%) and Busan (South Korea, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-and-white Flycatcher that you can see in Sapporo (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Narcissus Flycatcher (about 10%) and Asian Brown Flycatcher (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-and-white Flycatcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Sapporo (17 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.
