Asian Fairy-bluebird

Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella is only one of two species in the family Irenidae. We saw this species on two occasions only and today, there was a flock of twenty birds mostly high up in trees and against the light. The photo of an adult male bird is generally poor however but I will leave it on the website until I take a better one. The bird itself is a stunning blue and black colour with red eyes probably of the subspecies I.p.puella.

The preferred habitat of Asian Fairy-bluebird is broad leaved evergreen and dense moist deciduous forest. It forages actively for fruit and nectar usually in the tree canopy. It is found from the Himalayan foothills, India and Sri Lanka east through Indochina and the Greater Sundas. Philippine Fairy-bluebird I.cyanogastra is treated as a separate species.

References: Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp (1998) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent p.585, published by Helm; Wikipedia