Rufous-bellied Niltava
Niltava sundara Hodgson, 1837
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rufous-bellied niltava (Niltava sundara) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
Rufous-bellied niltava measures 15–18 cm and weighs 19–24 g. It is a large, stocky and brightly coloured flycatcher with rounded head shape, fairly short tail and broad-based bill.
Wikipedia contributors, Rufous-bellied niltava; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:54:45.195050+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Niltava sundara Hodgson, 1837
- Name authority
- Hodgson, 1837
- Common name
- Rufous-bellied Niltava
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Niltava
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMuscicapidae Fleming, 1822
- genusNiltava Hodgson, 1837
- speciesNiltava sundara Hodgson, 1837
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Niltava. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fujian NiltavaNiltava davidi La Touche, 1907 | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-vented NiltavaNiltava sumatrana Salvadori, 1879 | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vivid NiltavaNiltava vivida (Swinhoe, 1864) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large NiltavaNiltava grandis (Blyth, 1842) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Small NiltavaNiltava macgrigoriae (Burton, 1836) | MuscicapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=561623 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47F84. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.