Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is a small passerine bird found in the Indian subcontinent. The male has bright blue upperparts with a black face mask and orange underparts, while the female is duller with a brown back. This species is named after the British ornithologist Samuel Tickell, who first described it in 1833. The call of Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is a distinctive high-pitched ringing series of notes, often transcribed as “tsweet-tsweet-tswee-tsweet”.
Where is Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher found?
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher has a widespread distribution across the Indian subcontinent. Its breeding range extends from eastern Pakistan and northern India to Bhutan and southeastern Bangladesh. During the winter, it migrates to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and southern India. This species is found in a variety of wooded habitats including open forest, secondary growth, parks and gardens. It prefers areas with large trees, and is often seen perching prominently on bare branches near the tops of trees.
What does Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher look like?
The adult male Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is unmistakable with its bright azure blue upperparts contrasting with a black face mask that extends from the forehead down to below the eyes and around the throat. The underparts are bright orange from the lower breast to the vent. The bill and legs are black. The female is duller than the male, with brown upperparts, a paler face mask, and a buff wash to the underparts. Juveniles resemble the female but have scaled underparts. This is a small and slender flycatcher, measuring 12-13 cm in length and weighing 7-13 grams.
What is interesting about its nest?
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher builds a neat cup nest on a fork or horizontal branch, often near the end of a drooping branch. The nest is constructed of roots, plant fibers, cobwebs and lichens, and lined with feathers. It is a compact structure with the interior of the cup measuring around 4-5 cm wide and 3-4 cm deep. Interestingly, the outside of the nest is often decorated with pieces of spider egg sacs, seed tufts, flower petals, and bark strips, giving it a neat and ornamented appearance. The decoration may help camouflage the nest.
What is its breeding behavior like?
The breeding season of Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher extends from February to September across its range. It is monogamous, with paired breeding partners working together to build the nest, incubate the eggs and raise the young. Clutch size is typically 3-5 eggs which are blue-green with reddish brown speckles. The female incubates the eggs alone for 14-16 days until hatching. Both parents feed the nestlings with insects and continue caring for the young for another 16-19 days until they fledge from the nest. This species can raise multiple broods in a single breeding season.
What is its migration pattern?
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is a migratory species, breeding across the Indian subcontinent in summer and migrating south to the Indian peninsula and Sri Lanka for the winter months. Its migrations correspond with the monsoons. Most populations leave their breeding grounds in September-October at the end of the southwest monsoon and return in February-April aided by the northeast monsoon tailwinds. In the wintering grounds they are found in woodlands, forests, gardens and plantations. The timing and routes of migration are still poorly studied, but likely involve travel across the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal assisted by the monsoon winds.
What is its conservation status?
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher has an extensive range and large total population size, estimated between 1-10 million individuals. Its population appears to be stable and does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable status under the IUCN Red List criteria. As a result, it is evaluated as a species of Least Concern. There are no major threats to the species as a whole, although some local declines have occurred in heavily degraded or fragmented habitats. Maintaining suitable breeding and wintering habitats will be important for the long-term conservation of Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher.
What eats Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher?
As with most small songbirds, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is vulnerable to predation by a wide range of predators. Nestlings and eggs may be taken by snakes, squirrels, monkeys, and birds of prey like hawks and crows. Adults face predation from birds of prey such as falcons, Oriental Honey-buzzards and Shikras. mammals like civets, and snakes. The bright blue plumage likely warns potential predators that this bird may be unpalatable. Predation pressure is likely highest during the breeding season and on wintering grounds where migrating birds may be unfamiliar with local predators.
How can you attract Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher to your garden?
Here are some tips to attract Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher to your garden:
- Plant a diversity of native trees and shrubs, especially those that produce berries or fruit that birds can eat.
- Avoid trimming foliage and branches excessively so birds have adequate places to perch and nest.
- Put up nest boxes designed for flycatchers on tree trunks about 5-6 meters high.
- Ensure there is a source of fresh water such as a bird bath, fountain or other water feature.
- Eliminate use of pesticides which reduces the insect prey base.
- Install bush piles, leaf litter, logs and rocks that provide cover and perches.
With some careful landscaping choices and providing perches, nesting spots and water, you can turn your garden into an attractive habitat for Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and enjoy observing these beautiful songbirds.
Conclusion
In summary, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is a stunning songbird best known for its high-pitched ringing call and bright blue-orange plumage. It breeds across forests and woodlands of the Indian subcontinent before migrating south to peninsular India and Sri Lanka for the winter. Though a common species with a stable population, maintaining suitable habitats will be key for conservation of this flycatcher. Attracting this bird to gardens and enjoying its appearance and calls can be achieved by providing suitable trees, nest boxes, perches and eliminating pesticides. The distinctive vocalizations and striking beauty of the male Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher make it a jewel among the avifauna of the region.