The Sunda blue flycatcher, also known as the large-billed blue-flycatcher, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Sumatra and Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Region
Sundaland, Maritime Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Found in primary and well-structured secondary evergreen lowland forests, often in the shaded understory. It favors forest interiors and edges near streams and gullies where insect activity is concentrated. Occurs in peat-swamp and alluvial forests locally, but is most regular in tall dipterocarp forest. It is patchy where forest has been fragmented and generally avoids open or heavily logged habitats.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the large-billed blue flycatcher, this species is confined to the Greater Sunda Islands of Sumatra and Borneo. It prefers intact lowland rainforest and is highly sensitive to forest degradation, which is why ongoing deforestation is a key threat. Males show striking blue tones that can look different under deep forest shade.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick sallies from low perches
Social Behavior
Typically encountered alone or in pairs during the breeding season. It forages by sallying out from shaded perches, returning to the same or a nearby perch. Nests are cup-shaped, placed low in sapling forks, tree cavities, or banks, and both parents participate in rearing the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a series of thin, sweet whistles and soft trills that carry in the understory. Calls include sharp ticks and soft chip notes given during foraging or when alarmed.
Plumage
Male with deep cobalt-blue upperparts and head, paler bluish tones on the forehead, and whitish to pale buff underparts; bill noticeably large. Female is brown-olive above with a slight bluish tinge to wings and tail, and buffy underparts with a pale throat and belly. Both sexes have a relatively heavy, dark bill and fine, neat feathering suited to the forest understory.
Diet
Feeds primarily on insects such as flies, beetles, ants, termites, and caterpillars, and will also take small spiders. It employs perch-and-sally techniques to snatch prey in mid-air or glean from leaves and low branches. Occasionally drops to the ground to pick prey from leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Shaded forest understory, often along streams, gullies, and dense thickets where insect abundance is high. Uses low to mid-level perches with good overhead cover.
