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The White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) is a small passerine bird of the family Muscicapidae. Native to densely vegetated habitats in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, its popularity as a cage-bird and songster has led to it being introduced elsewhere.
Distribution and habitat They are native across scrub and secondary forests in South and Southeast Asia, but have been introduced to Kauai, Hawaii, in early 1931 from Malaysia (by Alexander Isenberger), and to Oahu in 1940 (by the Hui Manu Society).
Their popularity as a cage bird has led to many escaped birds establishing themselves. They have been introduced to Taiwan where they are considered an invasive species, eating native insect species and showing aggression towards native bird species.
In Asia, their habitat is dense undergrowth especially in bamboo forests. In Hawaii, they are common in valley forests or on the ridges of the southern Koolaus, and tend to nest in undergrowth or low trees of lowland broadleaf forests.
Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
www.oiseaux.netis one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there
Taxonomy It was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, causing it to be commonly known as the White-rumped Shama thrush or simply shama thrush.
Subspecies
The nominate race is found in the Western Ghats and parts of southern India while leggei is found in Sri Lanka. Race indicus is found in the northern parts of India. Race albiventris is found in the Andaman Islands and now usually considered a distinct species, the Andaman shama.
Race interpositus from southwestern Asia-China to Myanmar, Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago. Southern China has race minor while mallopercnus is found in the Malay peninsula. Race tricolor is found in the Sumatra, Java, Banka, Belitung and Karimata islands.
Race mirabilis from the Sunda Strait, melanurus from northwestern Sumatra, opisthopelus, javanus, omissus, ochroptilus, abbotti, eumesus, suavis (Borneo), nigricauda, stricklandii and barbouri are the other island forms. The last two are sometimes regarded as a separate species, the white-crowned shama (C. stricklandii).
Description They typically weigh between 28 and 34 g and are around 23–28 cm in length. Males are glossy black with a chestnut belly and white feathers on the rump and outer tail. Females are more greyish-brown, and are typically shorter than males.
Both sexes have a black bill and pink feet. Juveniles have a greyish-brown colouration, similar to that of the females, with a blotchy or spotted chest.
• Females: grey-brown head and back. Tail shorter than males • Juvenile: similar to the female, with blotches or spots on the chest. Reduced orange on underparts.
Breeding
The White-rumped Shama is shy and somewhat crepuscular but very territorial. The territories include a male and female during the breeding season with the males defending the territory averaging 0.09 ha in size, but each sex may have different territories when they are not breeding.
In South Asia, they breed from January to September but mainly in April to June laying a clutch of four or five eggs in a nest placed in the hollow of a tree. During courtship, males pursue the female, alight above the female, give a shrill call, and then flick and fan out their tail feathers.
This is followed by a rising and falling flight pattern by both sexes. If the male is unsuccessful, the female will threaten the male, gesturing with the mouth open.
The nest is built by the female alone while the male stands guard. The nests are mainly made of roots, leaves, ferns, and stems, and incubation lasts between 12 and 15 days and the nestling period averaged 12.4 days.
Both adults feed the young although only the female incubates and broods. The eggs are white to light aqua, with variable shades of brown blotching, with dimensions of about 18 and 23 mm.
Nest building
I spot a White-rumped Shama behind a motorcycle while birding at Khao Yai in Thailand. A female busy building a nest and she was a little scared when I approached.
And the White-rumped Shama is really not scared normally. They can come up and almost sit on you. I have almost stamped on a few of them standing next to me and I have not seen them.
I almost soil myself when they take off just next to me. Anyway, she collected building material and she landed on a pole keeping an eye on me. Then she jumped to the motorcycle. After a while she didn't care about me and she landed right on the motorcycle and in to the nest.
Female with building material landing to keep an eye on me
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Female with building material jumping down on the motorcycle
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Female inspecting the nest
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Now she is used to me and fly straight for the motorcycle
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Coming out from the nest
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
By now she really don't care about me
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Male sitting guard while the female build the nest
Khao Yai, Thailand - May 2020
Walking from the car to the bird hide at Wat Tham Prathun in Thailand and I spotted one White-rumped Shama sitting in the bamboo forest. The bird took off and I looked for the bird. I discovered the bird next to my left foot. The bird stared at my foot print, and suddenly! The bird attacked my foot print finding an insect.
I was instantly thinking about the North Island Robin on New Zealand. The bird was following me walking in the forest jumping from tree to tree looking at my feet for insects.
Scratching the ground with the foot and the bird dived down to look for insects where I had scratched the ground. So the White-rumped Shama is not shy, they are happy to come up close. And I have been scared many times almost stepping on them not seeing them and they take off suddenly.
Feeding
They feed on insects in the wild but in captivity they may be fed on a diet of boiled, dried legumes with egg yolk and raw meat.
Sonogram
By L. Shyamal - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5869953
Voice
The voice of this species is rich and melodious which made them popular as cage birds in South Asia with the tradition continuing in parts of Southeast Asia. It is loud and clear, with a variety of phrases, and often mimics other birds. They also make a 'Tck' call in alarm or when foraging.
One of the first recordings of a bird song that was ever made was of this species. This recording was made in 1889 from a captive individual using an Edison wax cylinder by Ludwig Koch in Germany.
Listen to the White-rumped Shama
One of the first recordings of a bird song that was ever made was of this species. This recording was made in 1889 from a captive individual using an Edison wax cylinder by Ludwig Koch in Germany.
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
It started to rain, we can hear the rain in the recording together with an Plaintive Cuckoo.
As usually the White-rumped Shama was not scared and I could both make a recording from 2 to 3 meter away. The pictures turned out bad as it was dark due to the rain.
Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use)
1st of January 2016 Location: Suan Rot Fai/ Queen Sirikit Park, Bangkok Thank's to Nick Upton atwww.thaibirding.comfor HOT birding tip for the Bangkok area on his web page. Read his review by clickingHERE
Visit Nick Upton atwww.thaibirding.comfor HOT birding tips for sites around Bangkok and Thailand. There are reviews of the birding sites with maps and information.
And if you like Nick Upton's web page you will also likewww.norththailandbirding.comI have used this page together with Nick Upton's page when planning my birding tours. Excellent reviews and information about the birding sites.
I also got the Thai names of the birds from www.norththailandbirding.com. There is a bird check list with all the names in English and Thai. And of course also the Scientific Name. Down load the birdlist in Microsoft Excel format atwww.norththailandbirding.comOr down load the Excel sheet by clickingHERE
PLEASE! As I'm a first time birdwatcher bear in mind that some of the bird can be wrongly named. I have bought book and I confirm on the internet to get the right identity on the birds I take pictures off. But there can still be mistakes.
White-rumped Shama / นกกางเขนดง 1 January 2016 - Suan Rot Fai/ Queen Sirikit Park, Bangkok
White-rumped Shama / นกกางเขนดง 1 January 2016 - Suan Rot Fai/ Queen Sirikit Park, Bangkok
White-rumped Shama / นกกางเขนดง January 2016 - Suan Rot Fai/ Queen Sirikit Park, Bangkok
White-rumped Shama / นกกางเขนดง - 8 May 2020 - Wat Tham Prathun, Chonburi
Male White-rumped Shama / นกกางเขนดง - 16 May 2020 - Khao Yai, Thailand