Red-flanked Bluetail
Encyclopedia
The Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus), also known as the Orange-flanked Bush-robin, is a small passerine
bird
that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush
family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher
, Muscicapidae. It, and related species, are often called chat
s.
It is a migratory
insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth in northern Asia
and northeastern Europe
, from Finland
east across Siberia
to Kamchatka and south to Japan
. It winters mainly in southeastern Asia, in southern China
, Taiwan
, and northern Indochina
. The breeding range is slowly expanding westwards through Finland (where up to 500 pairs now breeding), and it is a rare but increasing vagrant
to western Europe, mainly to Great Britain
. There have also been a few records in westernmost North America
, mostly in western Alaska
.
At 13–14 cm long and 10–18 g weight, the Red-flanked Bluetail is similar in size and weight to the Common Redstart
and slightly smaller (particularly with a slimmer build) than the European Robin
. As the name implies, both sexes have a blue tail and rump, and orange-red flanks; they also have a white throat and greyish-white underparts, and a small, thin black bill and slender black legs. The adult male additionally has dark blue upperparts, while females and immature males are plain brown above apart from the blue rump and tail, and have a dusky breast. In behaviour, it is similar to a Common Redstart, frequently flicking its tail in the same manner, and regularly flying from a perch to catch insects in the air or on the ground. The male sings its melancholy trill from treetops. Its call is a typical chat "tacc" noise. The nest is built on or near the ground, with 3–5 eggs which are incubated by the female.
, T. c. cyanurus breeding in northern Asia and T. c. rufilatus breeding in the Himalaya, it is now increasingly being treated as monotypic, with T. c. rufilatus split off as a distinct species, Himalayan Bluetail
T. rufilatus. The species has also been known by a variety of English and scientific names in the ornithological literature. The table below details the treatments adopted by some major works, by publication date (newest first):
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
, Muscicapidae. It, and related species, are often called chat
Chat (bird)
Chats are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered Old World flycatchers....
s.
It is a migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth in northern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and northeastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
east across Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to Kamchatka and south to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It winters mainly in southeastern Asia, in southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and northern Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
. The breeding range is slowly expanding westwards through Finland (where up to 500 pairs now breeding), and it is a rare but increasing vagrant
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
to western Europe, mainly to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. There have also been a few records in westernmost North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, mostly in western Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
At 13–14 cm long and 10–18 g weight, the Red-flanked Bluetail is similar in size and weight to the Common Redstart
Common Redstart
The Common Redstart , or often simply Redstart, is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus...
and slightly smaller (particularly with a slimmer build) than the European Robin
European Robin
The European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...
. As the name implies, both sexes have a blue tail and rump, and orange-red flanks; they also have a white throat and greyish-white underparts, and a small, thin black bill and slender black legs. The adult male additionally has dark blue upperparts, while females and immature males are plain brown above apart from the blue rump and tail, and have a dusky breast. In behaviour, it is similar to a Common Redstart, frequently flicking its tail in the same manner, and regularly flying from a perch to catch insects in the air or on the ground. The male sings its melancholy trill from treetops. Its call is a typical chat "tacc" noise. The nest is built on or near the ground, with 3–5 eggs which are incubated by the female.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
In the past generally treated as comprising two subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, T. c. cyanurus breeding in northern Asia and T. c. rufilatus breeding in the Himalaya, it is now increasingly being treated as monotypic, with T. c. rufilatus split off as a distinct species, Himalayan Bluetail
Himalayan Bluetail
The Himalayan Bluetail or Himalayan Red-flanked Bush-robin is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae.It is a short-distance altitudinal migrant species, breeding in...
T. rufilatus. The species has also been known by a variety of English and scientific names in the ornithological literature. The table below details the treatments adopted by some major works, by publication date (newest first):
| Publication | English name | Scientific name | Taxonomic notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOC standard list, version 2.5 Birds of the World: Recommended English Names Birds of the World: Recommended English Names is a paperback book, written by Frank Gill and Minturn Wright on behalf of the International Ornithological Congress. The book is an attempt to produce a standardised set of English names for all bird species, and it is the product of a project set in... |
Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | monotypic; excludes rufilatus |
| Collins Bird Guide Collins Bird Guide The Collins Bird Guide is a field guide to the birds of the Western Palearctic.Its authors are Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterström and Peter J. Grant, and it is illustrated by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström... |
Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | |
| IOC standard list, version 1 Birds of the World: Recommended English Names Birds of the World: Recommended English Names is a paperback book, written by Frank Gill and Minturn Wright on behalf of the International Ornithological Congress. The book is an attempt to produce a standardised set of English names for all bird species, and it is the product of a project set in... |
Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| Clements Checklist (6th edition) | Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| Birds of South Asia | Northern Red-flanked Bush-robin | Tarsiger cyanurus | monotypic; rufilatus split off |
| HBW Handbook of the Birds of the World The Handbook of the Birds of the World is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series is edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A Christie.So far, 15... |
Orange-flanked Bush-robin | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus, although split suggested |
| Howard & Moore (3rd edition) | Orange-flanked Bush Robin | Luscinia cyanura | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| OBC Checklist An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region is a 1996 softback book published by the Oriental Bird Club, and authored by Tim Inskipp, Nigel Lindsey and Will Duckworth.... |
Orange-flanked Bush Robin | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| Howard & Moore (2nd edition) | Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| BWP | Red-flanked Bluetail | Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |
| Voous | Red-flanked Bluetail or Orange-flanked Bush Robin |
Tarsiger cyanurus | polytypic; includes rufilatus |