Purple Cochoa

The purple cochoa is a brightly coloured, quiet and elusive bird of the temperate forests of Asia, found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. In India it occurs along the Himalayas, with a western limit about 100 km west of Mussoorie. It appears dark in the shade of the forest and its colours become clear only in sunlight. (Wikipedia, general species account)

The crown is silvery blue with a black mask over the eye, and the tail is silvery blue with a black terminal band. The breeding season is May to July, when it builds a cup-shaped nest in a fork, covered with moss, lichens and a white thread-like fungus said to be distinctive, and lays three pale sea-green blotched eggs that both sexes incubate in turn. The birds are shy at the nest, and the song is a low whistle. (Wikipedia, general species account)