Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major) | Photos, Calls and ID

NTNear ThreatenedEndemicInvertebrates

ForestCavity nestSmall · 38 g

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 3 — Photo: Oates, Eugene W · Public domain

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 4 — Photo: (c) Ashwin A, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 5 — Photo: (c) Tom Field, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 6 — Photo: (c) Paulmathi Vinod, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Siya ul haque, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major), photo 8 — Photo: (c) Siya ul haque, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

What the Nilgiri Blue Robin sounds like

Sonogram of the Nilgiri Blue Robin: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Mike Prince · Alarm call, call, song · Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Mike Prince · Alarm call · Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

This chat-like bird is long-legged and appears chunky with its short tail and wing. Although sharing similar habits and shape, the two species differ in plumage and both may show slight sexual dimorphism. Females may differ from males in iris colour at least in S. albiventris. The Nilgiri blue robin (S. major) has the lores black and the upperside, the throat, breast are dark slaty blue but the lower plumage is rufous. The centre of the belly is buffy white. The brow is not as well-marked as in the other species and is diffuse bluish.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Nilgiri Blue Robin

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Nilgiri Blue Robin

Regular range

The map shades 1 country with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

India

About the Nilgiri Blue Robin

The Nilgiri blue robin, also known as Nilgiri shortwing, white-bellied shortwing, Nilgiri sholakili or rufous-bellied shortwing is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India, mainly north of the Palghat Gap. This small bird is found on the forest floor and undergrowth of dense forest patches sheltered in the valleys of montane grassland, a restricted and threatened habitat.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

White-bellied Blue RobinSholicola albiventrisThis chat-like bird is long-legged and appears chunky with its short tail and wing.

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