Grandala coelicolor
The Grandala (Grandala coelicolor) is a breathtakingly beautiful passerine, renowned for the male's striking iridescent cobalt-blue plumage. This medium-sized bird, measuring about 20-23 cm (8-9 inches) in length and weighing 38-52 grams, exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism. Males are uniformly glossy blue with a black bill, legs, and eyes, while females are more subtly adorned in a sooty-brown and grey plumage, heavily streaked on the head and underparts, with a distinctive bright blue rump, ...
Inhabits high-altitude temperate and subalpine forests, alpine meadows, and rocky slopes, typically near or above the treeline, usually between 3,000 to 5,000 meters elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming a variety of flying insects like flies, beetles, and grasshoppers caught during aerial sallies; supplements its diet with berries, particularly juniper, cotoneaster, and barberry, especially in autumn and winter.
Grandala are primarily diurnal, actively foraging in the early mornings and late afternoons, often congregating at high-altitude passes. They exhibit a unique foraging strategy, frequently sallying out from exposed perches to catch flying insects in a manner reminiscent of flycatchers, but also g...
The Grandala is endemic to the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Its breeding range extends across northern India (Ladakh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal, Bhutan, southern and central China (Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan), and northern Myanma...
Least Concern
- The name "Grandala" is derived from the Tibetan word "gang-la," meaning "sky-blue bird," a fitting description for the male. - It is a monotypic genus, meaning it is the only species within its genus, highlighting its unique evolutionary path. - Grandalas are among the highest-altitude speciali...