Skip to main content

Photo: AJIT HOTA / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Near Threatened

Nilgiri Blue Robin

Sholicola major

Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

Regional checklists
See what's near you right now

The Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 38.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.

NT Near Threatened

Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Passeriformes
  3. Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
  4. Genus Sholicola
  5. Species major

Where it lives

Southwestern India (Western Ghats in southern Karnataka and Nilgiri Hills)

Quick facts

Weight
38.5 g
Family
Muscicapidae
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of dense forest, it uses a wide range of foraging strategies.

Migration

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR sw India (Western Ghats in s Karnataka and Nilgiri Hills).

It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 38.5 g, with a wing length of about 7.7 cm and a tail of around 6.3 cm.

The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 1,161 km² — a relatively restricted global range.

Songs & calls

Nilgiri Blue Robin — Song

Recorded by Vincent van der Spek Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Nilgiri Blue Robin?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is a small bird that weighs around 38.5 g.

Where does the Nilgiri Blue Robin live?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR sw India (Western Ghats in s Karnataka and Nilgiri Hills), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Nilgiri Blue Robin belong to?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin (Sholicola major) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.

What does the Nilgiri Blue Robin eat?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Nilgiri Blue Robin migrate?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Nilgiri Blue Robin endangered?

The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.

What sound does the Nilgiri Blue Robin make?

1 real field recording of the Nilgiri Blue Robin — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Nilgiri Blue Robin's range?

The Nilgiri Blue Robin has a mapped global range of about 1,161 km².

Conservation

Near Threatened

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

Explore more birds

More in Muscicapidae

More in Songbirds

Guides for this bird

Best Bird Feeders for Garden Songbirds

How to choose a bird feeder for garden songbirds — the feeder styles compared, the seed they prefer, where to hang it, and how to keep birds safe. A decision framework grounded in real data, with no mystery picks.

4 min read

Meet the Muscicapidae

A field guide to the Muscicapidae family — 355 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.

1 min read

Back to top