Birds Guide

Fairy-bluebirds
Asian Fairy-bluebird
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Irenidae Jerdon, 1863 Genus: Irena Horsfield, 1821
Species
See text.

The two fairy-bluebirds are small passerine bird species found in forests and plantations in tropical southern Asia and the Philippines. They are the sole members of the family Irenidae, but are related to the ioras and leafbirds.

These are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub, but whereas that group tends to be drab in coloration, fairy-bluebirds are sexually dimorphic, with the males being dark blue in plumage, and the females duller green.

These species eat fruit, especially figs, and maybe some insects. They lay 2-3 eggs in a tree nest.

The call of the Asian Fairy-bluebird is a liquid two note Glue-It.

As one would expect, the Asian Fairy-bluebird occurs across southern Asia, and the Philippine Fairy-bluebird in that archipelago.

• Family: Irenidae
  • Asian Fairy-bluebird, Irena puella
    Philippine Fairy-bluebird, Irena cyanogaster

External links

• Fairy-bluebird videos on the Internet Bird Collection