THE MALAYAN FAIRY BLTTE-BrRD 
Irena puella cyanea (Begbie.) 
i) Wfn/tff 071 There is a very strikin^j difference between 
the sexes of this bird but neither male nor female can be con- 
fused wtth any other local bird. 
The male has only two colours in its plumage^ bright, pale, 
shiny blue and deep velvety black. 
The blue extends to the top of the head, back, upper wing- 
coverts and under and upper-tail coverts. - 
Except the wing and tail-qtiills which are mostly dull 
brown^ the female is almost entirely blue but this is a very 
different blue from that of the male being dull and without 
the gloss and furthermore quite different in tone — brownish 
blue rather than ihe lively bright colour of the male. 
The i rides are red and the bill and feet black. 
Length 9 or 10 inches; wing about 5 inches. 
Dtstribution:—FMry blue-birds are found in India, the 
Indo-Chinese countries, the Philippines and throughout 
Malay sta> 
Status hi Singapore: — Not a common garden bird but 
preferring^ the quieter and well-wooded parts of the island. It 
is numeroiis on Bukit Timab and at Changi and common on 
Pulau Ubin. 
Fieid Notes: — The bright colours of male are not evident 
at a very short distance and as the species keeps very much to 
large trees it is usually noticed as a dark somewhat thick-set 
bird bulking considerably larger than the bulbuls. In Singa- 
pore it is usually seen in pairs. 
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