The red-flanked bluetail, also known as the orange-flanked bush-robin, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in mixed coniferous forests in northern Asia, parts of central Asia, and northeastern Europe. It is migratory, wintering mainly in southeast Asia, in the Indian Subcontinent, the Himalayas, Taiwan, and northern Indochina.
Region
Northern Asia and Northeastern Europe
Typical Environment
Breeds in mixed and coniferous forests, especially spruce, fir, and larch taiga with dense undergrowth. Prefers forest edges, clearings, ravines, and damp thickets with abundant cover. In winter it moves to lower elevations and milder regions, using broadleaf evergreen forests, bamboo thickets, scrub, parks, and well-vegetated gardens. It frequently occupies shaded understory and leaf-litter zones, perching low to forage and sally.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the orange-flanked bush-robin, this small flycatcher shows striking sexual dimorphism: males are vivid blue with orange flanks, females are brownish with a blue tail. It breeds across the taiga and mixed conifer forests of northern Asia and northeastern Europe and winters mainly in East and South Asia. It is a scarce but regular vagrant to Western Europe. Birds often flick their tails and skulk low in undergrowth, betraying themselves with thin, high calls.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, darting sallies
Social Behavior
Generally solitary or in pairs during the breeding season. Nests are placed low, often on banks, under roots, or in dense vegetation; the female incubates while the male helps feed nestlings. Outside breeding, it remains loosely territorial but may share good foraging patches with conspecifics and other small passerines.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Song is a thin, sweet, high-pitched warble delivered from low perches within forest cover. Calls include sharp ticking notes and delicate seee or tsee contact calls. Vocalizations carry surprisingly well in dense vegetation.
Plumage
Male with deep blue upperparts and tail, white to pale underparts with rich orange flanks; female/immature brownish above with bluish tail and rump and warm buffy flanks. Fine, neat feathering gives a smooth appearance, with a clean, pale face.
Diet
Primarily small insects and other arthropods such as beetles, flies, spiders, and caterpillars. In autumn and winter it supplements its diet with berries and small fruits, including juniper and barberry. It gleans from foliage and leaf litter, makes short sallies to catch flying insects, and occasionally probes mossy logs and roots.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in shaded understory, along forest edges, ravines, and thickets with abundant cover. In winter it frequents bamboo, scrub, orchards, and quiet gardens, often close to ground level.
