Bird Album
Purple Cochoa
Cochoa purpurea Hodgson, 1836
≈26 cmLength103 gWeight
It looks dull in forest shade but reveals its colors in sunlight, with a silvery-blue crown.
Busiest months: February · Most records: Thailand, China, Vietnam
How to identify
Field marks
- Silvery-blue crown and a black mask extending across the eye
- Gray carpal patch at the base of the wing; distinct wing patch
- Silvery-blue tail with a black terminal band
Male, female and young
Male has dark purplish-gray secondaries and coverts, with a grayish body; in female, the purple areas are replaced by rusty coloration.
Voice
Song is a low whistle; other calls include “sit” and a soft “trrrs”.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: February · Most records: Thailand, China, Vietnam
Purple Cochoa has been recorded at 29 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Doi Inthanon NP – Jeep Track (Km 37.5)Thailand32 records
- Doi Inthanon NP – Checkpoint #2Thailand19 records
- Doi Inthanon NPThailand18 records
More places
- Doi Inthanon NP – Mae Ouam (Km 34.5)Thailand12 records
- Pianma Snow PassChina11 records
- Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi AngkhangThailand10 records
- Mount EmeiChina5 records
- Baihualing [General Area]China5 records
- Tam Dao NPVietnam4 records
- Mahananda WLS – LatpancharIndia3 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 purple cochoa (Cochoa purpurea) is a brightly coloured bird found in the temperate forests of Asia. It is a quiet and elusive bird species that has been considered to be related to the thrushes of family Turdidae or the related Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers). They are found in dark forested areas and is found in the canopy, where it often sits motionless.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Purple Cochoa?
The Purple Cochoa is about ≈26 cm long and weighs around 103 g.
Where does the Purple Cochoa live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to northern Vietnam and northern Thailand. It is most often recorded in Thailand, China and Vietnam.
When is the best time to see the Purple Cochoa?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Purple Cochoa endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Purple Cochoa as Least Concern.
What does the Purple Cochoa eat?
Main food: Fruit.
What family is the Purple Cochoa in?
It belongs to the family Thrushes (Turdidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈26 cm
- Weight
- 103 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Fruit
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 140 mm
- Tail
- 102 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 29 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Himalayas to northern Vietnam and northern Thailand
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Thrushes Turdidae
- Genus
- Cochoa
Other birds in the genus Cochoa
Green CochoaCochoa viridis
Sumatran CochoaCochoa beccarii
Javan CochoaCochoa azurea
GrandalaGrandala coelicolor
Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoides
Western BluebirdSialia mexicana
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
Finsch's Rufous ThrushStizorhina finschi
Fraser's Rufous ThrushStizorhina fraseri
White-tailed Ant ThrushNeocossyphus poensis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by sowmyagiliyal. ↗
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