Verditer Flycatcher

Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) is a distinctive flycatcher whose male is intense copper-sulphate blue except for a dark patch between the eyes and bill; females are paler. 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 occurs from the Himalayas through Southeast Asia to Sumatra, foraging unusually high above the canopy from treetops or wires and launching into the air after flying insects. 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).