Slaty-blue Flycatcher     Ficedula tricolor 

Etymology:

  • Ficedula : Latin word ficedula –small fig-eating bird
  • Tricolor : Latin word tri– three-; color– colour  { Three Coloured}
      • Minuta : Latin word – minutus for small, little
      • Cerviniventris : Latin word – cervinus – stag-coloured ; venterventris – belly 

Sub species :

  1. Nominate – Kashmir to Nepal
  2. t. minuta – Himalayas , Nepal East  to North East India (Arunachal Pradesh and West Assam) {male has slightly darker blue upperparts than nominate, and warm buffish-olive underparts, pinkish base of lower mandible, also pinkish-brown legs, female is deep olive-brown above, tipped rufous on rump and tail, dull rufous upper throat becoming pale buff on lower throat, with side of neck, breast and upper belly dingy brownish-buff}
  3. t. cerviniventris – North East India (Meghalaya, East Nagaland and South East Assam  to Mizoram) {male has underparts warm buff with bluish breastband, female has darker warm rufous upperparts contrasting less with rump and tail, also warm buff below} 

Distribution in India:

  1. Nominate – Kashmir to Nepal
  2. t. minuta – Himalayas , Nepal East  to North East India (Arunachal Pradesh and West Assam)
  3. t. cerviniventris – North East India (Meghalaya, East Nagaland and South East Assam  to Mizoram) 

Description: Size of 12·5–13 cm; wt. of 6–10 g. It is a small to medium-sized, slim, short-billed, long-tailed forest flycatcher. The male of nominate race is almost entirely dark blue on head and upperparts, except for paler blue forehead, blackish lores to cheek merging with dark blue of rest of plumage. It has a blackish upperwing with rust-brown tinge on tertials and inner secondaries, and blue-black tail with prominent white sides at base. The chin and throat are white, side of breast are bluish-black, diffuse blue-grey band extending across breast. The belly to undertail-coverts are greyish-white; iris is dark brown; bill and legs are black. The female has head and upperparts as warm buff-brown, wings are darker, rufous edges to tertials, rufous rump and uppertail-coverts, chestnut tail, pale lores and whitish throat, buffish breast, warm brownish-buff flanks. The juvenile is similar to female or slightly darker brown, including tail, but upperparts, including wing-coverts are heavily spotted warm buff and streaked pale buff, and underparts are barred or scaled darker on breast. The first-year is more like respective adult, but with thin rufous-buff tips on greater coverts. Race minuta male has slightly darker blue upperparts than nominate, and warm buffish-olive underparts, pinkish base of lower mandible, also pinkish-brown legs. The female is deep olive-brown above, tipped rufous on rump and tail, dull rufous upper throat becoming pale buff on lower throat, with side of neck, breast and upper belly dingy brownish-buff; cerviniventris male has underparts warm buff with bluish breastband, female has darker warm rufous upperparts contrasting less with rump and tail, also warm buff below.

Habitat: It is breeds in subalpine shrubberies, bush-covered hills with bamboo and forest edges; in undergrowth of moist oak-rhododendron or conifer forests. In breeding it is found between 1800 m –3400 m. In non- breeding season it is found in thick brush-covered slopes, ravines, forest undergrowth, also tall grass, reedbeds and sugar-cane fields, at lower levels between 160 m –2135 m.

Food habits: It eats small invertebrates, centipedes, midges, beetles. It is found usually solitary or in pairs. It actively forages and skulks low down in trees, shrubs, and undergrowth, also on ground. It watches from low perch and pounces on insects on ground. It also makes short aerial pursuit of insects. It has a horizontal stance; droops wings and often flicks tail over back.

Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Jul. The nest is a cup of moss, plant fibres, animal hair, feathers, and gossamer, placed in depression on ground in bank, or up in hole in tree trunk, wall or among boulders. They lay a clutch of 3–4 eggs. The incubation is done by female who is fed at nest by male.