Living in large flocks, often in high mountain passes, alpine forests, and mid to high-altitude meadows is a spellbinding thrush you will not find anywhere else.
A unique and eye-searing member of the thrush species lives in the mid- to low-altitude regions of the Indian Subcontinent, all the way into Tibet and parts of China.
Meet the spell binding Grandala coelicolor.
The mature male grandala (Grandala coelicolor) of this bird species is a rich, deep shade of mesmerizing blue, with the exception of his wings, which are a midnight black color. The intensity of this blue color is practically eye-searing.
Females of the species are a brown color with white streaks about the head and breast, with white bars on each wing. While immature birds tend to look similar to the females. Both males and females are long-billed and can be found in large flocks similar in size to their thrush relatives.
This species, which prefers mid- to low-altitude habitats, can be found mostly in the Himalayas in Bhutan, India, Nepal, Tibet, and some regions of China.
Breeding occurs from May through to July when the birds build a cup-shaped nest on a ledge.
Despite possibly belonging to the thrush family, these birds don’t actually act like members of that family. They do hunt insects because they are insectivorous, but they prefer to catch them in flight as opposed to hunting them on the ground like a thrush would. They enjoy eating berries and fruits as well.
The exact numbers of the Grandala coelicolor are not known. However, it is thought as at the time of writing this article, their population is not under any threat.
