Rufous-bellied Niltava - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies N. s. Whistleri, male
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Sattal Forest, Alt. 5500 ft., Dist. Nainital, Western Himalayas, India, 21 November 2019

Niltava sundara

Identification

15–18 cm (6-7 in)
Male

• Pale blue crown
• Dark blue face, throat and upper back
• Sandy-brown underparts

Distribution

Nominate subspecies, male
Photo © by prabhatjee
Neora Valley, West Bengal, India, January-2018

Asia: found in China, Tibet, Nepal
South Asia: Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

• N. s. sundara :

• East Himalayas to southeast Tibet, southern China (northern Yunnan) and northern Laos

• N. s. whistleri :

• West Himalayas from Pakistan to north India (Kumaon)

• N. s. denotata:

• South West China to northern Myanmar to northern Thailand and northern Laos

Habitat

Broad-leafed evergreen and mixed conifer and deciduous forests, where they spend their time in bushes and the undergrowth.

Behaviour

Subspecies N. s. denotata, female
Photo © by jbpixels
Siriphum Waterfall (Nam tok Siribhum) Thailand, January 2020

Subspecies N. s. Whistleri, female
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal Forest, Alt. 5500 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, October-2018

Diet

Their diet consists of invertebrates and larvae; particularly ants, beetles and cockchafers.

Breeding

The nest is built jointly by the pair and is constructed from moss, fern stems, leaves and fine roots.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2018)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rufous-bellied Niltava. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous-bellied_Niltava

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