Bird Album
Asian Fairy-bluebird
Irena puella (Latham, 1790)
24–27 cmLength65 gWeight
The male has bright blue upperparts and black underparts, while the female is dull blue-green overall.
Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Thailand, Malaysia, India
How to identify
Field marks
- Male has bright blue upperparts and black underparts
- Iris deep red, eyelids pink
- Bill, legs and feet black
Male, female and young
Female and first-year male are dull blue-green; juvenile also resembles the female.
Voice
A mellow call, like 2 linked “glue-it” notes.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Thailand, Malaysia, India
Asian Fairy-bluebird has been recorded at 299 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Dairy Farm Nature ParkSingapore1,682 records
- Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia1,048 records
- Kaeng Krachan NPThailand1,047 records
More places
- Khao Yai NPThailand928 records
- Kaeng Krachan NP – stream crossings 1–3Thailand829 records
- KalatangIndia828 records
- Gunung Panti Recreational Forest – Panti Bird Sanctuary and North AreaMalaysia827 records
- Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia816 records
- Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary – Wat Tham Pha PlongThailand781 records
- Kaeng Krachan NP – km 9 vicinityThailand712 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Asian fairy-bluebird (Irena puella) is a medium-sized, arboreal passerine bird. This fairy-bluebird is found in forests across tropical southern Asia, Indochina and the Greater Sundas. Two or three eggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Asian Fairy-bluebird?
The Asian Fairy-bluebird is about 24–27 cm long and weighs around 65 g.
Where does the Asian Fairy-bluebird live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: India to Vietnam, Borneo and Java. It is most often recorded in Thailand, Malaysia and India.
When is the best time to see the Asian Fairy-bluebird?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Asian Fairy-bluebird endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Asian Fairy-bluebird as Least Concern.
What does the Asian Fairy-bluebird eat?
Main food: Fruit.
What family is the Asian Fairy-bluebird in?
It belongs to the family Fairy-bluebirds (Irenidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 24–27 cm
- Weight
- 65 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Fruit
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 125 mm
- Tail
- 92 mm
- Bill
- 26 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: India to Vietnam, Borneo and Java
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Fairy-bluebirds Irenidae
- Genus
- Irena
Other birds in the genus Irena
Palawan Fairy-bluebirdIrena tweeddalii
Philippine Fairy-bluebirdIrena cyanogastra
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by David Beadle. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.