Nilgiri Flycatcher

Nilgiri Flycatcher   Eumyias albicaudatus

Etymology:

  • Eumyias : Greek word  eu- good; muia – fly
  • Albicaudatus : Latin word albus- white; caudatus- tailed

Vernacular Names: Mal: Neelakkili, Mar: Nilgiri Mashimar

Distribution in India: Resident in South West India.

Description: Size of 14-15 cm. It is a Medium-sized, long-tailed flycatcher. Male is almost entirely deep indigo-blue, except for paler blue forehead and area over eye, black line from lores to behind eye, white at base of outer tail feathers (often difficult to see), and whitish tips of undertail-coverts; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Female much greyer than male, with dull brownish upperparts tinged blue-grey on wings and tail, paler, greyer underparts. It has an upright stance when perched; flicks tail when calling.

Habitat:It is found in evergreen hill forests and woodlands, including shade coffee and cardamom plantations, edges and clearings, thick vegetation along streams, also large gardens; usually above 600 m.

Food Habits: It eats small invertebrates and some fruit, particularly berries. It is usually solitary or in loose association with other flycatchers. It forages in bushes and lower levels of trees; occasionally makes aerial pursuits after flying insects from upper levels of canopy.

Breeding Habits: They breed in Feb-July in India. The nest is a cup-shaped one made of green moss, plant fibers and rootlets, placed in hole in bank or wall, or under hanging roots. The nesting site frequently reused in subsequent years. They lay a clutch of 2–3 egg.