Luscinia brunnea
Silhouette: Stephan Sprinz · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Indian blue robin (Larvivora brunnea) is a small bird found in the Indian subcontinent. Formerly considered a thrush, it is now considered one of the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. It was earlier also called the Indian blue chat. It is migratory, breeding in the forests along the Himalayas of Nepal, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. They winter in the hill forests of the Western Ghats of India and in Sri Lanka.
The Indian blue robin was described by Hodgson who placed it in a new genus Larvivora but it was later placed in the genus Luscinia. A large-sample molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including Indian blue robin were moved to the reinstated genus Larvivora. Larvivora is a sister of the species Brachypteryx cruralis, Brachypteryx leucophrys and Brachypteryx hyperythra.
The Indian blue robin is similar in size to the related bluethroat at 15 cm long. The adult male has blue upperparts and rufous underparts. A bright white supercilium contrasts with a black mask that continues down the neck. The lower belly and undertail are... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
India · 2014
S.MORE · iNaturalist · CC0
Recording0:33
China · 2023
© Sid Francis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:44
India · 2023
© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 10 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Blue Robin sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 227 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.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Blue Robin in Periyar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Periyar National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 410 mm in August.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Blue Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
7th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Indian Blue Robin sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 30%), Jiuzhaigou National Park (China, about 10%) and Eravikulam National Park (India, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Indian Blue Robin that you can see in Periyar National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Malabar Whistling-Thrush (about 60%), Oriental Magpie-Robin (about 50%) and Asian Brown Flycatcher (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Blue Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (108 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.
