Chloropsis moluccensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The blue-winged leafbird (Chloropsis moluccensis) is a species of leafbird found in forest and second growth throughout Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo and as far south as southern Sumatra. It previously included Jerdon's leafbird (C. jerdoni) from the Indian subcontinent, and the Bornean leafbird (C. kinabaluensis) from northern Borneo as subspecies, but differs from both in measurements and morphology, with Jerdon's lacking any blue to the flight feathers, and Bornean having a distinctive male-like female plumage. The Javan leafbird (C. cochinchinensis), which is endemic to Java, was also formerly grouped with the species, but more recent phylogenetic studies have split both. The distribution of the blue-winged and the Bornean leafbird are known to approach each other, but there is no evidence of intergradation.
The male is green-bodied with a yellow-tinged head, black face and throat. It has a blue moustachial line. The female differs in that it has a greener head and blue throat, and young birds are like the female but without the blue throat patch.
It is common to fairly common throughout most of its range, and therefore considered to be of least concern by BirdLife International. The superficially similar golden-fronted leafbird lacks blue in the flight feathers and tail, and has a golden forehead.
As in other leafbirds, the call of the blue-winged leafbird consists of a rich mixture of imitations of the calls of various other species of birds. Their wings are blue because cells in their feathers have gyroid crystals. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-winged Leafbird sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 159 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-winged Leafbird in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March–June and October, the lowest months. Those are among Cuc Phuong National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 390 mm in August. July has too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-winged Leafbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
6th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Blue-winged Leafbird sightings, Cuc Phuong National Park ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 50%), Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 40%) and Kaeng Krachan National Park (Thailand, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Blue-winged Leafbird that you can see in Cuc Phuong National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Pin-striped Tit-Babbler (about 60%), Fork-tailed Sunbird (about 60%) and White-bellied Yuhina (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-winged Leafbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Cuc Phuong National Park (63 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
