Cyanoptila cyanomelana
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-and-white Flycatcher sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 140th most-seen of the 229 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-and-white Flycatcher in Tokyo on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
18th of 19
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Blue-and-white Flycatcher sightings, Tokyo ranks 18th at under 5%. 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 Tokyo (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Daurian Redstart (about 20%) and Blue Rock-Thrush (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 Tokyo (104 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.
