Large Blue Flycatcher

The large blue flycatcher is a medium-sized flycatcher with distinctive sexual dimorphism. The lores, cheeks and some of the ear coverts are jet black, contrasting with a deep blue cap and dark blue feathers on the wings and tail with a subtle purplish tinge; the bill is black and the legs vary from pale flesh-pink to pale pinkish-grey or light horn-brown. It is found in the eastern Himalaya from Nepal to Bangladesh; it is rare in north-east India, where it is found through most of the year, though in the breeding season it is much more common to find birds that have migrated to northern Myanmar (Wikipedia, general species account).

Its diet includes small invertebrates such as spiders, worms and beetles. It forages in pairs, or alone outside the breeding season, hunting in low, shaded areas of the forest, sitting and waiting for prey to pass. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, a summer migrant forest bird with a Very Restricted range of about 6,160 km² and insufficient data on trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).