Blue-and-white flycatcher

Japanese: オオルリ - おおるり（英語表記）blue-and-white flycatcher

It is a bird of the family Muscicapidae, subfamily Muscicapinae, order Passeriformes, class Aves. It breeds in the Amur and Ussuri regions of the Russian Federation, northeastern China, the Korean peninsula, and Japan, and migrates from Indochina to the Greater Sunda Islands to spend the winter. It is about 16 cm long. Sexes are different. Males have a deep cobalt color on the upper side with a metallic luster, black throat and chest, and a white belly. Females are olive brown on the upper side and pale yellowish brown on the lower side. In Japan, it lives along mountain streams from Kyushu northward, building nests in crevices in rock walls and laying 4 to 5 eggs. It has a typical insect-catching method for Muscicapidae, staying at several fixed perching spots, and when it finds a mosquito or small beetle such as a weevil nearby, it flies from there, catches it in the air, and returns to its perching spot. Males sing beautifully from the tops of tall trees in the valleys, and defend their territory. In the past, they were popularly kept as pets for their beautiful appearance and voice, and were considered one of Japan's three most famous birds along with the Japanese bush warbler and the Japanese robin. They are sometimes called "Ruri" for short.

[Nobuo Takeshita]

Male blue-and-white flycatcher
They migrate to Japan as summer birds and breed from the Amur and Ussuri regions of Russia, and northeastern China. They have a beautiful cobalt color. They are one of the three most famous birds of Japan. Total length is about 16 cm. Family: Flycatchers © Hiroshi Aizawa ">

Male blue-and-white flycatcher

Female Blue-and-white flycatcher
The sexes are different, with the female being olive brown above and pale yellowish brown below. Total length is about 16cm. Family: Flycatcher © Hiroshi Aizawa ">

Female Blue-and-white flycatcher

Major species of flycatchers [specimen illustrations]
©Yoshitaka Morikami ">

Major species of flycatchers [specimen illustrations]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

鳥綱スズメ目ヒタキ科ヒタキ亜科の鳥。ロシア連邦のアムール地域およびウスリー地方、中国東北部、朝鮮半島、日本で繁殖し、インドシナから大スンダ列島に渡り越冬する。全長約16センチメートル。雌雄異色。雄は上面が濃いコバルト色で金属光沢があり、のどから胸にかけては黒く、腹は白い。雌は上面がオリーブ褐色で、下面は淡い黄褐色。日本では、九州より北の山地の渓流沿いにすみ、岩壁のすきまに巣をつくって、4～5個の卵を産む。ヒタキ類の典型的な昆虫のとり方をし、いくつかの決まった止まり場にいて、近くのカやゾウムシなどの小甲虫をみつけると、そこから飛び立って空中でつかまえ、止まり場に帰るという方法をとる。雄は渓谷の高木のこずえで美しい声でさえずり、縄張りを守る。美しい姿と声を楽しむために、かつては盛んに飼われ、ウグイス、コマドリとともに日本の三名鳥とされた。ルリと略称されることもある。

［竹下信雄］

オオルリの雄
ロシアのアムール、ウスリー地方、中国東北部などから、日本へは夏鳥として渡来、繁殖する。コバルト色が美しい。日本三名鳥のひとつ。全長約16cm。ヒタキ科©相澤　弘">

オオルリの雄

オオルリの雌

ヒタキのおもな種類〔標本画〕

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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