Rueck's Blue-flycatcher
Encyclopedia
Rück's Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis ruckii), also known as Rueck's Blue-flycatcher or Rueck's Niltava, is an old world flycatcher
. The name commemorates M. Rück, who procured two skin specimens in Malacca
.
, brown iris
and black feet. The male has dark blue plumage, white belly, and shining blue rump. The female has rufous brown plumage, rusty breast and whitish belly. The young has brown spotted buff plumage with rufous breast and whitish center on underparts.
to the island of Sumatra
, Indonesia
. It is known only from four specimens. Two specimens, an immature and adult male were last recorded and collected around 1917-1918 in secondary lowland forests in Medan
area of North Sumatra
province by the Dutch
collector, August van Heijst. The other two skins are of doubtful origin.
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES and is protected under Indonesian law since 1972.
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
. The name commemorates M. Rück, who procured two skin specimens in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
.
Description
It is up to 17 cm in length, with a black billBeak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, brown iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
and black feet. The male has dark blue plumage, white belly, and shining blue rump. The female has rufous brown plumage, rusty breast and whitish belly. The young has brown spotted buff plumage with rufous breast and whitish center on underparts.
Distribution
The flycatcher is endemicEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is known only from four specimens. Two specimens, an immature and adult male were last recorded and collected around 1917-1918 in secondary lowland forests in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
area of North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
province by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
collector, August van Heijst. The other two skins are of doubtful origin.
Conservation
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and limited range, the flycatcher is evaluated as Critically EndangeredCritically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES and is protected under Indonesian law since 1972.