Blue Rock Thrush

The blue rock thrush is a starling-sized chat, 21–23cm long, with a long, slim bill. The breeding male of the nominate subspecies is unmistakable, blue-grey all over apart from darker wings, while males of the eastern subspecies philippensis are rufous-chestnut from the mid-breast to the undertail. Females and immatures are much duller, dark brown above and paler brown with scaly markings below. Neither sex has the reddish outer tail feathers of the common rock thrush (Wikipedia, general species account).

The male sings a clear, melodious song, louder than the common rock thrush's, with short and long versions made up of whistles, trills and burry notes. It is a thrush-like Old World flycatcher, formerly placed with the thrushes, and there is a proposal to split it into two species. It is the national bird of Malta. SoIB 2023 lists it as mainly a winter migrant in India, estimates a long-term decline of about 74% and a current fall of about 5% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).