The Malaysian blue flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It has a brilliant blue upperparts, a pale orange throat and chest, and a white belly. A slightly paler female has a whitish throat, while a male's is blue; the sexes are otherwise quite similar.
Region
Sundaland (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo)
Typical Environment
Found in the lowland evergreen forests of Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo (including Brunei). It favors riverine forest, swamp and peat-swamp forest, and dense secondary growth near water. The species typically remains in the shaded understorey and along forested streams. It is generally absent from heavily degraded habitats and high elevations.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A lowland forest specialist, the Malaysian blue flycatcher keeps close to shaded streams and dense undergrowth. Males show vivid cobalt-blue upperparts with a warm orange throat and chest and a clean white belly; females are duller with a pale or whitish throat. It often hunts by short sallies from low perches, snapping up insects in mid-air or from foliage.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs within dense understorey near water. Breeding pairs maintain small territories and nest close to streams, often in cavities, crevices, or sheltered banks lined with fine fibers. Both parents participate in caring for the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of sweet, thin whistles and soft warbles delivered from a low, concealed perch. Calls include soft tsee and high-pitched wheet notes, often given at dawn or in shaded streamside habitat.
Plumage
Male with brilliant cobalt-blue head and upperparts, pale orange throat and chest grading to a clean white belly; female duller blue-brown above with a paler, often whitish throat and buffy underparts. Feathers are sleek and glossy on the upperparts, with smooth, unspotted underparts.
Diet
Primarily takes small flying insects such as flies, beetles, and moths, and also gleans spiders and other arthropods from foliage. It hunts by sallying from low perches, returning to the same perch after a short aerial pursuit. Occasional hover-gleaning and leaf-litter picking are observed in shaded stream gullies.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forested streams, in riverine thickets, and within dense understorey of primary and mature secondary lowland forest. It prefers shaded, humid microhabitats with ample perches and clear flycatching lanes near water.
