Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Rufous-bellied Niltava

Niltava sundara Hodgson, 1837

≈16 cmLength21 gWeight

The male of this large, stout, brightly colored flycatcher has blue upperparts that may look black in dim light.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Head rounded
  2. Tail relatively short
  3. Base of the bill broad
  4. Male upperparts blue, possibly appearing black in dim light

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, China

Rufous-bellied Niltava has been recorded at 272 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia649 records
  2. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W), AKA Doi San JuThailand564 records
  3. SattalIndia524 records
More places
  1. Forest Research Institute (FRI), New Forest CampusIndia271 records
  2. Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia268 records
  3. Mahananda WLS – Rongtong and Shivakhola ForestIndia262 records
  4. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – Nature Trail & LakeIndia262 records
  5. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W) level part / "Oasis"Thailand255 records
  6. Mahananda WLS – LatpancharIndia235 records
  7. PangotIndia221 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaThailandChinaNepalBhutanBangladeshMyanmar (Burma)Pakistan

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Rufous-bellied Niltava?

The Rufous-bellied Niltava is about ≈16 cm long and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the Rufous-bellied Niltava live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to Thailand. It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and China.

When is the best time to see the Rufous-bellied Niltava?

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

Is the Rufous-bellied Niltava endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Rufous-bellied Niltava as Least Concern.

What does the Rufous-bellied Niltava eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Rufous-bellied Niltava in?

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

At a glance

Length
≈16 cm
Weight
21 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
82 mm
Tail
68 mm
Bill
16 mm
Tarsus
20 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Himalayas to Thailand

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2
  • Niltava sundara sundara c, e Himalayas to sw China and c Myanmar
  • Niltava sundara denotata s China and e Myanmar

Classification

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

Other birds in the genus Niltava

Fujian NiltavaFujian NiltavaNiltava davidiRufous-vented NiltavaRufous-vented NiltavaNiltava sumatranaChinese Vivid NiltavaChinese Vivid NiltavaNiltava oatesiTaiwan Vivid NiltavaTaiwan Vivid NiltavaNiltava vividaSmall NiltavaSmall NiltavaNiltava macgrigoriaeLarge NiltavaLarge NiltavaNiltava grandisWhite-tailed AletheWhite-tailed AletheAlethe diademataFire-crested AletheFire-crested AletheAlethe castaneaKaroo Scrub RobinKaroo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeusBrown Scrub RobinBrown Scrub RobinTychaedon signata
Rufous-bellied Niltava

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

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