Blue Rock Thrush

Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) is a thrush-like Old World flycatcher whose male is largely slate-blue, while females are browner with pale scaling. 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 inhabits rocky coasts, cliffs, mountains and buildings from southern Europe through Asia, watching from exposed perches before dropping onto insects and small vertebrates and also taking fruit. 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).