![]() ![]() The White-Rumped Shama are very shy birds and are more often heard (through their melodious songs and loud, clear calls) than seen. Overall, they depend moderately on the forest and they do not avoid human habitats. They bathe in pools and streams in the forest in order to maintain their feathers as the feathers undergo wear and tear. The White-Rumped Shama are found in forested areas, in secondary jungle or where there is dense underbrush or thick wood cover. To listen to more songs and calls of the White-Rumped Shama, click HERE . Their call can be listened from the sound clip below: They also use their call to indicate their presence to others. ![]() They often call with a harsh 'tschak' or 'tck' while foraging or alarmed by disturbance within their territory. ![]() Male and females often vocalise within their territories. The video below shows a male White-Rumped Shama singing: The sound clips provided below showcase the White-Rumped Shama's beautiful yet varied songs. This is because in males, song primarily functions both as a territorial signal and mate-attracting signal. Apparently, the males are the more consistent and beautiful singers (with a complex, beautiful song), with the females singing short songs only during the breeding season or when in the presence of their male partners. The White-Rumped Shama are also good imitators of the songs of other birds and sounds, and are widely believed to acquire at least part of their songs by imitation. ![]() Their beautiful song is the main contributor to their popularity in the caged bird trade, with their owners entering them into songbird competitions. They also have elements that are reserved for their partner, serving as a distinct indication to secure the return of the partner as quickly as possible. It was found that each individual has song elements that are almost exclusively their own private utterances, as such, their songs can be rather varied. The most valuable asset of the White-Rumped Shama is their beautiful song, as their songs are not only loud and melodious, but rich in notes and tonal quality as well. For the purposes of this species page, the year of the original description will be taken as 1788. It is of note that the exact year is uncertain and as a result, some websites state the original description as 1786, while some sites state it as 1788. However, some parts of it are in a foreign language. Scopoli from a publication of an account of new descriptions of birds and mammals collected by Pierre Sonnerat on his voyages, between 1786 to 1788. Original description: Original description was by J.A. The rump, a popular term in bird descriptions, refers to the part of the bird's body just before the start of the tail. In addition, the species was called “White-Rumped Shama” due to the obvious and distinctive white rump, in contrast with the black of its body. In Malay, it is called Murai Hutan/Murai Batu or Forest Magpie, as it is usually found in forested areas and has close association with the Magpie Robin in Singapore, despite both species not being true magpies. "Shama" was derived from a Hindi term meaning "song bird", which was formerly used to describe members of the Thrush family. Currency notes and postage stamps of White-Rumped Shama (Photo: and SebanaHornbills blog)īinomial (Scientific): Copsychus malabaricus (Scopoli, 1788) Vernacular (Common): English:White-Rumped Shama, Malay: Murai Hutan/Murai Batu In addition, they have been depicted twice in Singapore's postage stamps (50-cent stamp) in both 19 (Figure 2). They were featured on the S$50 notes of the "Bird Series" currency notes released by the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 19 (Figure 2). Another interesting fact was them having been featured on both Singapore's stamps and currency notes. Do you know that one of the first recordings of bird song ever made was from the White-Rumped Shama? It was recorded by Ludwig Koch from Germany in 1889. Their most renowned feature is their beautiful song, directly resulting in their status as one of the most popular caged birds in Singapore. The White-Rumped Shama is a predominantly black bird living in forested areas. One will not normally think, or even know of the White-Rumped Shama ( Copsychus malabaricus) (Figure 1), considered to be a rare bird in mainland Singapore. When thinking about birds in Singapore, one will normally think of the commonly seen Javan Myna or the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which are both ranked relatively high on the 2010 Mid-Year Bird census (1st and 13th respectively). ![]()
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