The Taiwan purple howlingbird (scientific name: Myophonus insularis) is about 280 mm long. Male and female birds are of the same type. It is a slightly smaller snapper with a black-blue body, no metallic gleaming pinnae on the upper body, and blue gleaming pinnae on the chest. The forehead is bluish-black , with fine goose-down black hairs from the base of the upper beak to the eye , black on the top of the head and back of the body , and white at the base of the feathers at the waist. The tail feathers are purplish-black and the outer edge is dark purple-blue. Small and medium coverts are sky blue and large coverts are black. The primary flight feathers are black and the feather margins are blue. The throat and thorax are black , the feathers are shiny blue and scaly , the ventral and subtail coverts are black , and the base of the feathers at the tibia and lower abdomen is white. The beak is black, and the tarsals and toes are black. The shoulder feathers have a purple-blue metallic luster that shimmers dazzlingly in the sunlight and are very beautiful, but the appearance alone cannot judge the gender. It is about 28 to 31 cm long, and it is the largest of the common stream birds in Taiwan.
Distributed in China, the mountainous region of Taiwan is a specialty species of China.
It inhabits inland mountainous areas at an altitude of 150 to 2100 meters above sea level in dark forest streams, canyons and rock walls. Similar to the Taiwanese Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea). The Taiwan purple howling bird also jumps on the ground and does not run on the ground like other birds. They often appear alone in rocky mountain streams or between rugged rocks, sometimes east and west, or up or down, faintly appearing, often spreading their wings along the creek, or tracing the creek and sliding. It often emits a sharp, high frequency like a long whistle of "whoosh-" metal whistle. The screeching of the purple howling plover pierces the silent morning sky, and the random whistle rings up and down in the dense forest by the stream, lasting about 15 to 30 minutes, and then they will cross the stream to the opposite bank to feed. During the day they usually forage quietly, chirping en masse again 30 minutes before sunset, and a few minutes later, following the early morning route back to their lodgings for the night, with each bird having a fixed route across the creek. The purple howling bird is a carnivorous bird that often feeds by streams, and its diet is dominated by insects, accounting for about 80%, along with stone dragons, frogs, small fish and earthworms. During the breeding season, early morning males and females make soft, slow, multisyllabic courtship calls, and males chase each other. The Purple Howling Plover has a strong act of protecting the territory, and in the event of an invasion of the same species of birds, it will attack head-on until the invader is expelled from the territory. According to studies, the social status of the purple whistling is related to weight, and the heavier ones are often in a higher social status.
The purple-snapped plover is monogamous and breeds from March to September. They nest in tree holes, plaques in pavilions, crevices in rock walls, stone caves, bridge pier crevices, tunnel walls, holes in riverbank earth walls, or eaves. These natural nests are places with low illumination, difficulty for predators to climb, very hidden and good rain and wind protection. Even if nesting on the riverbank is 2-3 meters above the water surface, it will be safe unless a rare heavy rain is infested. The nest is dish-shaped, paved with dead branches, branches, grass stems and mosses, and is about 100 mm in diameter, about 100 mm high and about 55 mm deep. Purple whistlings lay 2 clutches of eggs per year, the first litter is from April to May, and the second litter is from June to August. Its eggs are bright pale pink and round.