Niltava grandis
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Large Niltava sighting in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 166 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July, September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Niltava in Gunung Leuser National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August, October and December–May, the lowest months.
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.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Large Niltava sightings, Gunung Leuser National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kerinci Seblat National Park (Indonesia, about 40%), Doi Inthanon National Park (Thailand, about 30%) and Namdapha National Park (India, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Large Niltava that you can see in Gunung Leuser National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher (about 20%), Grey-chested Jungle 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 Large Niltava is recorded against all the birds logged in Gunung Leuser National Park (10 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.
