Qilian Bluetail (Tarsiger albocoeruleus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Qilian Bluetail

Tarsiger albocoeruleus Meise, 1937

This bird resembles Red-flanked Bluetail in appearance, with more blue and less white in the supercilium of typical individuals.

Busiest months: June · Most records: China

Looks like Red-flanked Bluetail

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Typical individuals have a bluer supercilium than Red-flanked Bluetail

Similar species

Red-flanked Bluetail
Red-flanked Bluetail

Only subtle differences in appearance: typical individuals of this species have more blue and less white in the supercilium; vocalizations and genetics also differ.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: June · Most records: China

Qilian Bluetail has been recorded at 19 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Yaozigou Scenic AreaChina49 records
  2. Lingshan Scenic AreaChina42 records
  3. Wudaogou, ChongliChina36 records
More places
  1. Cuiyun MountainChina17 records
  2. Huzhu Beishan National Forest ParkChina11 records
  3. Langshidang ValleyChina5 records
  4. Lianhuashan NNRChina4 records
  5. Wuling Mountain NNRChina4 records
  6. Liushugou SavannaChina3 records
  7. HuapoChina2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

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 Qilian bluetail (Tarsiger albocoeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is found in north-central China. It formerly considered as conspecific with the red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus).

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

Questions

Where does the Qilian Bluetail live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: north-central China (northeastern Qinghai, northern Gansu, Shanxi, and Beijing). It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Qilian Bluetail?

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

What family is the Qilian Bluetail in?

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

Range

Palearctic: north-central China (northeastern Qinghai, northern Gansu, Shanxi, and Beijing)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

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

Other birds in the genus Tarsiger

White-browed Bush RobinWhite-browed Bush RobinTarsiger indicusTaiwan Bush RobinTaiwan Bush RobinTarsiger formosanusGolden Bush RobinGolden Bush RobinTarsiger chrysaeusCollared Bush RobinCollared Bush RobinTarsiger johnstoniaeRufous-breasted Bush RobinRufous-breasted Bush RobinTarsiger hyperythrusRed-flanked BluetailRed-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurusHimalayan BluetailHimalayan BluetailTarsiger rufilatusWhite-tailed AletheWhite-tailed AletheAlethe diademataFire-crested AletheFire-crested AletheAlethe castaneaKaroo Scrub RobinKaroo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeus
Qilian Bluetail

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

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