Blue-and-white Flycatcher

Blue-and-white Flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana) is a medium flycatcher whose male is deep blue above with black face and breast and clean white underparts, while females are brown. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in Japan, Korea and nearby north-eastern Asia, catches flying insects from forest perches and migrates to Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).