Rare Blue-and-White Flycatcher Spotted on Pavagadh Hill in Gujarat

Key facts

• A male blue-and-white flycatcher, a rare migratory bird, was sighted on Pavagadh Hill in Gujarat by a team from the Ghoghamba social forestry range.
• The male bird is identified by its royal blue upperparts, black face and breast, and white belly, whereas the female of the species is brownish in colour.
• The species has been recorded only approximately 149 times in India, as the country does not fall along its typical migration route.
• The bird breeds in Japan, Korea, and parts of China and Russia between May and July, returning to these grounds between February and May.
• During the wintering period from August to January, the species typically migrates to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
• Range Forest Officer (RFO) Jayesh Dumadiya noted that the bird resembles native species such as the black-naped monarch and Tickell's blue flycatcher.
• A female of the same species was also recorded in the Kheda district of Gujarat in November.