White-tailed Robin

Myiomela leucura montium

Endemic subspecies

The male White-tailed Robin (18 cm) is very distinctive with its overall blue-black colour, its cobalt-blue forehead and shoulder patch, and white patches in the tail, which include the basal two-thirds of the outer tail feathers.  The bill and iris are black.  The female is brownish overall, with a thin whitish band across the throat and the same tail pattern.  The Taiwan subspecies montium is slightly smaller than mainland forms, and the female is more olive-toned and less buffy-brown on the breast.

The White-tailed Robin prefers dense undergrowth of moist evergreen broadleaf forest, often near running water.  It feeds on insects and berries, foraging mainly on the ground or in low foliage.  It is very secretive and appears blackish in its shady habitat, except for the white in the tail, which it constantly opens and shuts.  In Taiwan the White-tailed Robin is an uncommon resident of medium to high-elevation broadleaf forests year-round, descending to lower elevations in winter.

References:  Handbook of Birds of the World Vol. 10; A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); 100 Common Birds of Taiwan (Wild Bird Society of Taipei); N. J. Collar, “Endemic subspecies of Taiwan birds—first impressions”, in Birding ASIA, Number 2, December 2004