Red-flanked Bluetail
| Red-flanked bluetail | ||||||||||||||
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| first winter female | ||||||||||||||
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| Tarsiger cyanurus |
The Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European species, are often called chatss.
It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth in north Asia to the Himalayas and western China. The species’ range is expanding westwards through Finland. Bluetails winter in Southeast Asia.
The Red-flanked Bluetail nests near the ground, laying 3-5 eggs which are incubated by the female.
It is slightly larger in size than the European Robin. As the name implies, both sexes have a blue tail and reddish flanks. The adult male has dark blue upperparts and white underparts. Females are plain brown above and have a dusky breast.
The male sings its melancholy trill from treetops. Its call is a typical chat “tack” noise.
