The red flanked blue tailed robin is a bird belonging to the genus of passerine thrush family, also known as Blue Dotted Gangzi, Blue Tail Rootzi and Blue Tail Jie.[6]It is small in size, with shorter legs and longer tails than the robins.The male bird has blue upper body, blue gray head, short thick white eyebrows, small feathers on the wing and bright blue feathers on the tail: the chin, throat and chest are brown white, the two flanks are brown red, and the belly to tail feathers are white.The female bird is yellowish brown with white eye rims;White throat, brown chest, orange red flanks, white lower body;The tail feather is blue.Black mouth, black brown feet.[7]
The red flanked blue tailed robin is distributed in the northwest of Finland and Russia, from the Ural Mountains to Kamchatka Peninsula in the east, to the north of Mongolia and Japan in the south.[8]In China, it is distributed in all provinces except Tibet.It inhabits forest areas, forest edge shrubs, orchards, urban parks and green spaces in mountainous forests and plains.They often move alone or in pairs and form small groups during migration.They mainly eat animal food such as various insects, and also eat plant food such as fruits and seeds.[9]The breeding period is from April to May.The number of eggs per litter is usually 5-6.Female birds hatch eggs for 14-15 days.Young birds grow late.[10]
The red flanked blue tailed pigeon is a small insectivorous bird. It jumps freely in the forest during migration and feeds on a large number of agricultural and forestry pests. It is a small helper to protect forest health.However, due to the extensive and long-term use of agricultural pesticides, they are facing enormous survival challenges.[11]It was listed in the List of Terrestrial Wildlife Beneficial or of Important Economic and Scientific Research Value under National Protection issued by the State Forestry Administration on August 1, 2000.[12]
Chinese name
Orange-flanked Bush Robin
Latin name
Tarsiger cyanurus
Alias
Blue Dot Gangzi、Blue Tail Root、Blue Tail Jie、Blue tailed European robin
Small bird, body length 13-15 cm.The male bird's upper body coverts from the top to the tail, including the inner coverts on both wings, are generally grayish blue on the surface, and the small coverts on both sides of the top, wings and tail coverts are particularly bright and brilliant in brilliant blue.The tail is mainly dark brown, with a pair of central tail feathers with blue fringes, and the outer tail feathers are only slightly stained with blue, and the more toward the outer side, the more blue the tail feathers become.The small and middle coverts on the wing are bright blue, the rest are dark brown, and the feather margin is stained with gray blue.The flight feathers are dark brown or dark brown, the outer edges of the innermost two or three flight feathers are blue, and the other flight feathers have dark brown or light yellowish brown narrow edges.The eyebrow lines are white and brown, and turn blue from the forehead to the front part above the eyes. The eyes and cheeks are black, and the ear feathers are dark grayish brown or dark brown, mixed with light brown stripes.The chin, throat and chest of the lower body are brownish white, the belly to tail feathers are white, the chest side is gray blue, and the flanks are orange red or orange brown.The female bird's upper body is olive brown, and the coverts on the waist and tail are grayish blue. The tail is also grayish blue in appearance.The forehead, eyelids, and periocular areas are light brown or brown white, and the rest of the cephalic side is olive brown, and the ear feathers are mixed with brownish white fringes.The lower body is similar to the male bird, but the chest is stained with olive brown, and there is no gray blue on the side of the chest. The rest are like male birds.The iris is brown or dark brown, the mouth is black, and the feet are reddish brown or purplish brown.[2-3]
Habitat environment
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During the breeding period, it mainly inhabits mountain coniferous forest, birch forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, and sparse forest and shrub zone on the upper forest edge above 1000 meters above sea level, especially under the humid fir and birch forest.In migration season and winter, it can also be seen in the secondary forest in the low mountains and hills and the plain at the foot of the mountain. It can be seen in the sparse forest at the edge of the forest, the sparse forest and shrub beside the road and the stream, and sometimes even in the sparse forest, shrub and grass slope near the orchard and village.[2]
Life habits
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Feeding habits:During reproductionbeetle、Bark beetle, longicorn beetles, ants, foam cicadas, foot woks, goldenrods, moth larvae, beetles, mosquitoes, bees and other insects and insect larvae for food.In addition to eating insects, they also eat a small amount of plant food such as plant fruits and seeds during migration.[2]
Habits:They often act alone or in pairs, sometimes in small groups of 3-5, especially in autumn.It is mainly terrestrial, mostly running on the ground under the forest or jumping among the lower branches of the shrub, and its sex is very hidden. In addition to the male birds standing on the branches and singing during breeding, they generally move and forage among the undergrowth bushes.When you stop, you often swing your tail up and down.The red flanked blue tailed robin breeds and winters in China, bothSummer bird, alsoWinter migratory bird。[2]
Distribution range
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In China, it mainly breeds in the northeast and southwest regions, and winters in the Yangtze River basin and vast areas south of the Yangtze River.[2]
It is distributed in Eastern Europe, from the west of Ural to the east via Siberia to the Pacific Ocean Okhotsk coast, Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Himalayas and other places in the south, and winters in Thailand, Indochina Peninsula and India.[2]
Reproductive mode
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The red flanked robin mainly nests in the dense dark coniferous forest and birch forest above 1000 meters above sea level.The nesting environment is generally dark, humid and rugged, especially in the caves on the ridges, protruding roots and earth cliffs above the ground, or in the trunk caves.There are often bushes, dead branches and leaves near the nestmoss and lichenCovering the nest is quite hidden.Usually, male birds move from the lower part of the mountain to the breeding ground at the upper part of the mountain at the end of April and early May, and then start to occupy the area, and stand on the top of the tree in the nest area to sing, so as to attract female birds. After pairing, they search for the nest site and start nesting with the female birds.The nesting time usually starts in the middle and late May and continues to the late June.The nesting is shared by both male and female parent birds, but mainly female birds. Male birds still sing among the trees in the nest area from time to time, and occasionally participate in nesting activities.It takes 7-10 days to build each nest.The nest is cup-shaped, mainly composed of moss, and sometimes padded with animal hair and pine needles on the inside.The size of the nest is 13.5-15.0 cm outside diameter, 7.0-7.5 cm inside diameter and 3-4 cm deep.After the nest is built, they begin to lay eggs, and some have to rest for a few days to lay eggs.One nest is bred in one year, and one egg is laid in one day, and some eggs are laid in one day interval.Each nest usually spawns 4-7 eggs, mostly 5-6 eggs.Egg white, blunt end is covered with reddish brown small spots, often concentrated in a ring.The egg is oval, with the size of 17.5-18.0mm × 13.0-14.5mm and the weight of 2.0-2.5g. After laying all the eggs, hatching begins. The hatching period is 14-15 days.The nestling is late mature, and after hatching, the male and female parent birds jointly raise the nestling.Young birds are mainly fed by male birds in the first few days after hatching. Female birds usually warm their young in the nest, and sometimes they leave the nest to feed their young only when the weather is warm at noon.With the growth of chicks and the enhancement of their ability to keep warm, female birds also actively participate in feeding their chicks for 11-14 hours a day.The nestling period is 13 ± 1 days.It breeds in northeast Asia and Himalayas.It moves to South China and Southeast Asia in winter.[2]
Listed in ChinaState Forestry AdministrationIssued on August 1, 2000《List of terrestrial wild animals under state protection that are beneficial or have important economic and scientific research value》。[5]
Included《World Conservation Union》(IUCN) 2012 Red List of Endangered Species ver 3.1 - Not at Risk (LC).[1]
Population status
The red flanked robin is an insectivorous bird, and its food is mostly some important forest pests, which is of great significance in forest protection.The population is quite common, but many people catch the bird for cage breeding and sale, so attention should be paid to protection.[2]
