Myiomela sumatrana
The Sumatran Blue Robin, Myiomela sumatrana, is a striking member of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae), endemic to the montane forests of Sumatra. Males are particularly arresting, featuring a glossy dark blue plumage with bright electric blue highlights on the forehead, supercilium, and shoulder patch, contrasting with dark lores and blackish wings and tail. Their underparts are a duller, dark blue-grey. In stark sexual dimorphism, females are cryptically colored, sporting an ol...
This species primarily inhabits montane and submontane evergreen forests, bamboo thickets, and dense secondary growth, often favoring areas near streams and moist gulleys. It is typically found at elevations ranging from 900 to 2,400 meters.
It is predominantly insectivorous, feeding on a variety of insects and other small invertebrates found in the forest understory. Occasionally, it may also consume small berries.
The Sumatran Blue Robin is a shy and often solitary bird, occasionally observed in pairs, typically foraging in the dense undergrowth and near the forest floor. It employs a foraging strategy of hopping along low branches and the ground, gleaning insects from foliage, or making short sallying fli...
The Sumatran Blue Robin is strictly endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it is a resident species without any known migratory movements. Its distribution is concentrated within the extensive Barisan Mountains, which traverse the length of the island. Key areas of presence include mo...
Least Concern
- This stunning bird is entirely endemic to the island of Sumatra, found nowhere else in the world. - Despite its common name, the Sumatran Blue Robin is an Old World flycatcher, not a true robin (family Turdidae) or related to the American Robin. - The male's brilliant electric blue patches can ...