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Niltava

genus of birds

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 14, 2024
Entity authorityQ1081020
Source-derived summary

Niltava (from niltau, Nepali for the rufous-bellied niltava) is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are found in found in South and Southeast Asia as well as in China. The seven species in the genus are sexually dimorphic. The males have blue upperparts and all except the large niltava have orange-rufous underparts. The females are less brightly coloured and have brown upperparts and buffish underparts.

Taxonomy

The genus Niltava was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist Brian Hodgson with the rufous-bellied niltava (Niltava sundara) as the type species. The genus name is from the Nepali word Niltau for the rufous-bellied niltava.

The genus contains the following seven species:

Fujian niltava (Niltava davidi)

Rufous-bellied niltava (Niltava sundara)

Rufous-vented niltava (Niltava sumatrana)

Chinese vivid niltava (Niltava oatesi)

Taiwan vivid niltava (Niltava vivida)

Large niltava (Niltava grandis)

Small niltava (Niltava macgrigoriae)

References

Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Niltava” as genus of birds. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Niltava, genus and birds.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1837, 2006—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Niltava, genus and birds providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Niltava”, the useful work is to connect “genus of birds” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q1081020. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1837 and 2006.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Niltava”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Niltava primary sources, Niltava archive and Niltava research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Niltava”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Niltava” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.