Taiwan Vivid Niltava

Niltava vivida (Swinhoe, 1864)

≈17 cmLength33 gWeight

This flycatcher has a deep purple-blue head and back and bright ocher-orange underparts, while the female is olive-brown.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: China

Looks like Chinese Vivid Niltava

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Head, back and tail deep purple-blue
Underparts bright ocher-orange
Throat, face and wings black
Bill, legs and feet black

Male, female and young

Female olive-brown overall, with paler underparts, a pale yellow throat and a gray-brown crown and nape.

Similar species

Chinese Vivid Niltava

Chinese Vivid Niltava is larger and was formerly treated as the same species.

Where and when it's recorded

Taiwan Vivid Niltava has been recorded at 19 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Dasyueshan IBA – Dasyueshan Forest-Road 23.5KTaiwan (China)1,181 records
Nantou – Meifeng Highland Experimental Farm of NTUTaiwan (China)718 records
Nantou – Xitou Nature Education AreaTaiwan (China)660 records

More places

Yushan NP – TatakaTaiwan (China)190 records
Dasyueshan IBA – Xiaoxueshan Lodge (50K)Taiwan (China)155 records
Dasyueshan IBA – Hengliu Creek (15K)Taiwan (China)81 records
Taipei – Xindian SikanshuiTaiwan (China)43 records
Taipei – WulaiTaiwan (China)41 records
Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)20 records
Yeliu IBATaiwan (China)17 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 Taiwan (China) vivid niltava (Niltava vivida) or small vivid niltava is a bird in the family Muscicapidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1864. It is endemic to Taiwan (China).

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

Questions

How big is the Taiwan Vivid Niltava?

The Taiwan Vivid Niltava is about ≈17 cm long and weighs around 33 g.

Where does the Taiwan Vivid Niltava live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Taiwan Vivid Niltava?

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

Is the Taiwan Vivid Niltava endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Taiwan Vivid Niltava as Least Concern.

What does the Taiwan Vivid Niltava eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Taiwan Vivid Niltava in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈17 cm
Weight: 33 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 86 mm
Tail: 74 mm
Bill: 15 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Taiwan (China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

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

Other birds in the genus Niltava

Fujian NiltavaNiltava davidi

Rufous-bellied NiltavaNiltava sundara

Rufous-vented NiltavaNiltava sumatrana

Chinese Vivid NiltavaNiltava oatesi

Small NiltavaNiltava macgrigoriae

Large NiltavaNiltava grandis

White-tailed AletheAlethe diademata

Fire-crested AletheAlethe castanea

Karoo Scrub RobinTychaedon coryphoeus

Brown Scrub RobinTychaedon signata

Download illustration

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

WebP · 1070 px

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