It is not a Monticola, both plumage and structure are all wrong. It looks like a Niltava to my eyes, a juvenile male, possibly Chinese Vivid based solely on proportions (closer to Large) + it lacks a white breast shield. What was the location?
That's interesting, I also thought that the shape of the bird was different, almost like a cuckooshrike. This was at Mt. Wawu in central Sichuan. I'm not familiar with any niltava species (haven't seen any) and couldn't find any photos juvenile Chinese vivid niltava. The description I found of the juvenile of this species is: "pale eye ring, dark brown above, buff spots on the head and larger spots on mantle, back and scapular, buff tips on the rump and uppertail coverts, pale grayish brown below, and uniformly pale buff on undertail coverts." Is juvenile male due to the wings appearing blue?
