Blackthroat (Calliope obscura)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Blackthroat

Calliope obscura (Berezowski & Bianchi, 1891)

≈14 cmLength20 gWeight

This extremely elusive robin is known as “Asia's most mysterious robin”.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China, Thailand

Vulnerable

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Blackthroat has been recorded at 13 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaThailand

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 blackthroat (Calliope obscura), also known as the black-throated robin or black-throated blue robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It breeds in north-central China but its wintering grounds are uncertain. It has been recorded as a vagrant in northwest Thailand.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blackthroat?

The Blackthroat is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 20 g.

Where does the Blackthroat live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: north-central China. It is most often recorded in China and Thailand.

When is the best time to see the Blackthroat?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Blackthroat endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blackthroat as Vulnerable.

What does the Blackthroat eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Blackthroat in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈14 cm
Weight
20 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Vulnerable
More measurements
Wing
68 mm
Tail
48 mm
Bill
14 mm
Tarsus
27 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: north-central China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus
Calliope

Other birds in the genus Calliope

FirethroatFirethroatCalliope pectardensSiberian RubythroatSiberian RubythroatCalliope calliopeHimalayan RubythroatHimalayan RubythroatCalliope pectoralisChinese RubythroatChinese RubythroatCalliope tschebaiewiWhite-tailed AletheWhite-tailed AletheAlethe diademataFire-crested AletheFire-crested AletheAlethe castaneaKaroo Scrub RobinKaroo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeusBrown Scrub RobinBrown Scrub RobinTychaedon signataForest Scrub RobinForest Scrub RobinTychaedon leucostictaBearded Scrub RobinBearded Scrub RobinTychaedon quadrivirgata
Blackthroat

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Chen Zhiyang. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages