About Cyornis tickelliae Blyth, 1843
Tickell's blue flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae Blyth, 1843) measures about 11–12 cm in length. It perches in an upright posture and forages mainly in overgrowth. Males have bright blue upperparts, red throat and breast, and white underparts elsewhere. Females have duller blue overall, with brighter blue markings on the brow, shoulder, rump, and tail. This species hybridizes with the pale-chinned blue flycatcher (Cyornis poliogenys) in the Eastern Ghats of India, and these hybrids have sometimes been treated as the subspecies vernayi. Juveniles have streaked patterning, a spotted mantle, and scaly brown upperparts, head, and breast; only their wings and tail are blue. Tickell's blue flycatcher has been recorded feeding even after dusk. It eats mainly flying insects, and may occasionally pick up crawling insects. The species shows regional variation in plumage and size, and several distinct populations have been given subspecies status. The nominate subspecies occurs in India, Nepal, and Myanmar. The population native to Sri Lanka is classified as C. t. jerdoni, also called nesea or mesaea, which is noted as darker and has a longer bill. The subspecies C. t. indochina ranges from Myanmar through Thailand into Cambodia and Vietnam. C. t. sumatrensis is found in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and northeast Sumatra, while C. t. lamprus is an insular population restricted to Anamba Island. In the past, this species was treated as a subspecies of the blue-throated blue flycatcher (Cyornis rubeculoides), a similar species that differs by having a blue throat. Tickell's blue flycatcher breeds in dry forest, scrub, bamboo, and gardens. Its metallic song is made up of a series of clicks followed by five or six notes that end abruptly; these five or six notes resemble the song of the Spot-breasted fantail. Its alarm calls include churr sounds and clicking notes. It is a wary species that can be easily observed even in small gardens. It prefers forest habitats, occurs in thick, shaded cover, and is especially commonly found along the banks of wooded streams. It feeds mainly by catching insects in flight, but also preys on other insects such as termites and earwigs that it gleans or picks from the ground. It has recently been observed living in garbage sites. During the breeding season, it may take larger prey including small vertebrates; a bush frog has been recorded as prey of this species in Sri Lanka. The breeding season runs from April to August overall, and from March to June in Sri Lanka. It builds its nest in a tree hole or among rocks, lines the nest with fine grass and fibres, and lays 3–5 eggs per clutch.
