Irena cyanogaster (Fairy Bluebird)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Black-Mantled Fairy Bluebird, Fairy Bluebird, Philippine Fairy Bluebird, Philippine Fairy-Bluebird

Common Names in French:

Irène à Ventre Bleu

Common Names in German:

Kobaltfeenvogel

Description

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Family Irenidae

A Family of two species of small birds that inhabit open forest of southern Asia.

Physical Description

Species Irena cyanogaster

The family Irenidae consists of three groups of colorful forest-loving birds. They are the Leafbirds, the Ioras and the Fairy bluebirds.

The Fairy bluebird is the most colorful and the largest species, having a length of 10 inches. The male of this species has the crown, hind neck, back, rump and upper tail-coverts colored a brilliant turquoise, the remaining plumage being dark cobalt-blue or black. The female is a dull blue-green or purple. The males are always more brightly colored than the females.

Biology

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Diet

In the wild, Fairy bluebirds feed largely on fruit and insects. They are particularly fond of wild figs, and also eat some flower nectar.

Reproduction

The nest of the Fairy bluebird is built in a sapling or thin bushes deep in the forest , usually about 20 feet above ground . The nest is a tidy open cup of rootlets and twigs camouflaged with moss.

These birds normally lay two greenish-white oval-shaped eggs heavily marked with brown and gray splotches and streaks. The young are born altricial, meaning they are helpless and must be fed by the parents.

Behavior

Fairy bluebirds live in the forest crown and are gregarious fruit-eaters. They live in pairs or small troops and keep to the evergreen lowland forest.

They have a very loud contact call and short sharp whistles. While not migratory, they wander localy depending on the seasonal abundance of fruit. They usually travel quietly in pairs though the forest, but when a large fig tree is bearing, scores of birds may gather for the banquet together.

In the heat of the day Fairy bluebirds sometimes descend in flocks to bathe in forest streams. During the breeding season the flock splits into pairs.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Deuterostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia () - (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata () - Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata () - Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata () - Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Tetrapoda () - Goodrich, 1930
        Class: Aves () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Birds
        Subclass: Neornithes () - Gadow, 1893
        Infraclass: Neoaves ()
        Superorder: Passerimorphae ()
        Order: Passeriformes () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Perching Birds
        Suborder: Passeri ()
        Parvorder: Corvida ()
        Superfamily: Corvoidea ()
        Family: Irenidae () - Fairy Bluebirds
        Genus: Irena () - (Latham, 1790)
        Specific name: cyanogaster - Vigors, 1831
        Scientific name: - Irena cyanogaster Vigors, 1831

Unambiguous Synonyms

Irena cyanogaster Vigors, 1831
Irena cyanogastra Vigors 1831

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Irena

There are approximately 16 species in this genus:

I. criniger · I. cyanea · I. cyanogaster (Fairy Bluebird) · I. cyanogaster cyanogaster · I. cyanogastra · I. ellae · I. malayensis · I. puella (Asian Fairy Bluebird) · I. puella criniger · I. puella malayensis · I. puella puella · I. puella sikkimensis · I. puella turcosa · I. puella tweeddalei · I. turcosa · I. tweeddalii

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 11, 2006.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 06, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
Honolulu Zoo
MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 18, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 06, 2008:

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2474886
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-560608
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 333476
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 560608
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 130984