Vivid Niltava
Niltava vivida (Swinhoe, 1864)
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 Taiwan vivid niltava (Niltava vivida) or small vivid niltava is a bird in the family Muscicapidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1864. It is endemic to Taiwan. The Chinese vivid niltava (N. oatesi) of the Asian mainland, which is larger in size, was formerly considered conspecific. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The Taiwan vivid niltava is a medium-sized (16 cm) member of the Old World flycatcher family, has a deep purplish blue on the head, back, tail and lesser wing coverts, and bright rufous orange below. Its throat, face, wings and iris are black as are its legs and bill. The female is olive brown overall, lighter below, with a light buffy throat and greyish-brown crown and nape. As do many members of its family, the small vivid niltava bears distinct rictal bristles at the base of its bill.
Wikipedia contributors, Taiwan vivid niltava; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:31:03.817582+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Niltava vivida (Swinhoe, 1864)
- Name authority
- (Swinhoe, 1864)
- Common name
- Vivid 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 vivida (Swinhoe, 1864)
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 |
| Rufous-bellied NiltavaNiltava sundara Hodgson, 1837 | 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=561624 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:47F85. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.