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{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Tickell's blue-flycatcher
| image = Tickell's_blue_flycatcher_(Cyornis_tickelliae)_Photograph_By_Shantanu_Kuveskar.jpg
| image2_caption = Female, from [[Mangaon]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>BirdLife International 2017. Cyornis tickelliae (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T103761678A111162678. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103761678A111162678.en. Downloaded on 28 June 2019.</ref>
| genus = Cyornis
| species = tickelliae
| authority = [[Edward Blyth|Blyth]], 1843
| synonyms = ''Muscicapa tickelliae''<br/>''Cyornis tickelli''<br/>''Muscicapula tickelliae''
}}
'''Tickell's blue flycatcher''' ('''''Cyornis tickelliae''''') is a small [[passerine]] [[bird]] in the [[Old World flycatcher|flycatcher]] family. This is an insectivorous species which breeds in tropical Asia, from the [[Indian Subcontinent]] eastwards to [[Bangladesh]] and western [[Myanmar]]. The [[Indochinese blue flycatcher]] was formerly considered conspecific. They are blue on the upperparts and the throat and breast are rufous. They are found in dense scrub to forest habitats. The name commemorates the wife of the British ornithologist [[Samuel Tickell]] who collected in India and Burma.<ref>{{cite book|last=Beolens|first=Bo|title=Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds|year=2003|publisher=Christopher Helm|location=London|pages=338–339|author2=Watkins, Michael }}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Rangantithu, Karnataka, India.jpg|thumb|From southern India|left]]
Tickell's blue flycatcher is about 11–12 cm long. It sits upright and forages mainly in the overgrowth. The male's upper parts are bright blue, its throat and breast are red, and the rest of the underparts are white. The female is duller blue with a brighter blue brow, shoulder, rump, and tail. It hybridizes with the [[pale-chinned blue flycatcher]] (''Cyornis poliogenys'') in the Eastern Ghats of India and these hybrids have sometimes been treated as a subspecies ''vernayi''. The juvenile is streaked and has a spotted mantle, scaly brown upperparts, head and breast, with just the wings and tail being blue.<ref name="pcr">{{cite book|last1=Rasmussen|first1=P.C.|last2=Anderton|first2=J.C. | year=2005| title= Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2| publisher= Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions|pages=385–387}}</ref>

They have sometimes been known to feed even after dusk.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sharma, S.K. |year=2006| title= Nocturnal feeding by the Tickell's Blue Flycatcher ''Cyornis tickelliae''| journal= Zoos' Print Journal |volume=21|issue=2|page=2171|doi=10.11609/jott.zpj.1359.2171|doi-access=free}}</ref> Apart from flying insects they may occasionally pick up crawling insects.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Serrao, J.S.|year=1964| title= Tickell's Blue Flycatcher feeding on crawling prey|journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] |volume=4 |issue=3|page=12| url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW4#page/n44/mode/1up}}</ref>

The species shows regional variations in plumage and size and several of these populations have been designated with subspecies names. The nominate form is found in India, Nepal and Myanmar. The Sri Lankan population is separated as ''jerdoni'' (or ''nesea''/''mesaea'' said to be darker<ref name=whistler/>)<ref>{{cite book| pages=234–236|url=https://archive.org/stream/BakerFbiBirds2/bakerFBI2#page/n264/mode/1up |title= The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 2| year=1924| publisher=Taylor and Francis|location=London, UK| author= Baker, E. C. Stuart}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| url= https://archive.org/stream/novitateszoologi34lond#page/237/mode/1up/|journal=[[Novitates Zoologicae]] | volume=34| year=1928|title=Notes on the Genus ''Cyornis'' Blyth|author=Robinson H.C.|author2= N.B. Kinnear|name-list-style=amp|pages=231–261}}</ref>

In the past this species has been considered as a subspecies of the [[blue-throated blue flycatcher]] (''Cyornis rubeculoides'') which resembles this but has a blue throat.<ref>{{cite journal|pages=117–118|journal=Spolia Zeylanica| volume=12| year=1922| author=Wait, W.E.| url=https://archive.org/stream/passerinebirdsof00wait#page/117/mode/1up|title=The Passerine birds of Ceylon}}</ref>
==Habitat and distribution==
Tickell's blue flycatcher breeds in dry forest, scrub, bamboo and gardens.

==Behaviour and ecology==
The metallic song of the bird includes a series of clicks followed by five or six notes that end abruptly.<ref name=whistler>{{cite book|pages=122–124|url=https://archive.org/stream/popularhandbooko033226mbp#page/n159/mode/1up| title=Popular handbook of Indian birds|author=Whistler, Hugh |year=1949| publisher= Gurney and Jackson|location= London, UK}}</ref> The metallic song consists of short clicks followed by five or six notes resembling that of the Spot-breasted fantail. Alarm calls include ''churr'' and clicking notes.<ref name=pcr/> It is a wary bird and is easily observed in small gardens too. It is a forest-loving species which is found in thick cover and shade, and particularly haunts the banks of wooded streams.

They feed mainly by capturing insects in flight but their prey include other insects such as termites and earwigs that may be gleaned or picked from the ground. Now they are being observed inhabiting garbage places.<ref>{{cite book|author=D'Abreu, E.A. | title=Some insect prey of birds in the Central Provinces|pages=859–871| work=Report of the proceedings of the third entomological meeting. Volume 3|year=1920|publisher=Government Press|location=Calcutta|url=https://archive.org/stream/reportofprocee03ento#page/859/mode/1up}}</ref> During the breeding season, they may take larger prey including small vertebrates. A bush frog has been reported as prey in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite journal| journal=Birding Asia| volume=24| year= 2015|pages=128–129|title= Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae eats a Sri Lankan shrub frog| author1=Gabadage, Dines| author2=Perera, Palinda| author3=Botejue, Madhava| author4=Karunarathna, Sameera}}</ref>

The breeding season is April to August (March to June in Sri Lanka). It nests in a hole in a tree or amongst rocks that is lined with fine grass and fibres and lay 3–5 eggs.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Abdulali, Humayun |year=1979| title= The nesting of Tickell's Flycatcher (''Muscicapa tickelliae'') in Bombay| journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume= 76|issue=1| pages=159–161}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|pages=7–8|url=https://archive.org/stream/nestseggsofindia02humerich#page/6/mode/2up|title=The nests and eggs of Indian birds. Volume 2|author=Hume, A.O.|year=1890|publisher=R. H. Porter|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=256| url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofcolle03brit#page/256/mode/1up/ |title=Catalogue of the collection of birds' eggs in the British Museum. volume 3|year=1903|author=Oates, E.W.|publisher=British Museum|location=London}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cyornis tickelliae}}
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/tickells-blue-flycatcher-cyornis-tickelliae Photos and videos] at the Internet Bird Collection

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1591239}}

[[Category:Cyornis|Tickell's blue-flycatcher]]
[[Category:Birds of India]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1843|Tickell's blue flycatcher]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Edward Blyth|Tickell's blue flycatcher]]

Tickell's blue flycatcher - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article