Tarsiger cyanurus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus), also known as the orange-flanked bush-robin, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in mixed coniferous forests in northern Asia, parts of central Asia, and northeastern Europe. It is migratory, wintering mainly in southeast Asia, in the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayas, Taiwan, and northern Indochina.
The red-flanked bluetail was formally described in 1773 as Motacilla cyanurus by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas based on specimens seen near the Yenisei river in Russia. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek κυανος/kuanos meaning "dark-blue" with -ουρος/-ouros meaning "-tailed". The red-flanked bluetail is now placed in the genus Tarsiger that was introduced in 1845 by the English naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson. The genus name is from Ancient Greek tarsos, "flat of the foot" and Latin gerere, "to carry".
The red-flanked bluetail belongs to a group of insectivorous birds known as chats, that were formerly thought to be thrushes. Genetic analysis showed that they were in fact a type of Old World flycatcher, with the resemblance to thrushes being the result of convergent... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-flanked Bluetail sighting in Shanghai on a given day, based on 912 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Red-flanked Bluetail in Shanghai on a given day, against under 5% in May to September, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-flanked Bluetail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 34 cities where we can rate Red-flanked Bluetail sightings, Shanghai ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Changsha (China, about 30%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Red-flanked Bluetail that you can see in Shanghai (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 70%), Daurian Redstart (about 30%) 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 Red-flanked Bluetail is recorded against all the birds logged in Shanghai (912 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.
