Niltava grandis
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The large niltava (Niltava grandis) is a species of bird in the Old world flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical montane forests.
The large niltava was formally described in 1842 by the English zoologist Edward Blyth based on specimens collected in Darjeeling, India. He coined the binomial name Chaïtaris grandis. The large niltava is now placed with six other niltavas in the genus Niltava that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist Brian Hodgson.
Four subspecies are recognised: Image at ADW Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 5 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Large Niltava sighting in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, based on 1,222 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 367 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Large Niltava in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Doi Inthanon National Park's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Niltava sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Large Niltava sightings, Doi Inthanon National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kerinci Seblat National Park (Indonesia, about 40%).
Same genus: Niltava
The closest relatives of the Large Niltava that you can see in Doi Inthanon National Park (genus Niltava, Niltavas) are Small Niltava (about 20%), Rufous-bellied Niltava (about 20%) and Chinese Vivid Niltava (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Niltava is recorded against all the birds logged in Doi Inthanon National Park (1,222 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.
