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: