oriental magpie-robin

The oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher.
Length: 19-23 cm ; Weight: 31-42 g

DESCRIPTION:
Oriental Maggie-Robin male has glossy blue-black upperparts, head, throat and upper breast. Long tail is black, with white outer feathers. Wings are black with two bold, long, white wing bars. Underparts are white.
Bill is black. Eyes are dark. Legs and feet are blackish.
Female is dull dark grey instead black on the same body parts.
Juvenile resembles female, but it has scaly head and upperparts, and mottled brown throat and breast.

VOICE
Oriental Magpie-Robin utters beautiful clear whistles at dawn, repeated on short phrases. It is able to imitate other birds’ calls.
Its melodious song is strong and varied, with discordant notes and mimicries. They sometimes may abruptly sing during the night.

Oriental Magpie-Robin is common in parks and gardens. It is found in cultivated areas and open woodlands. It also frequents human habitation surroundings. It can be found up to 2000 metres in bushes, but also in coastal mangroves.

RANGE:
Oriental Magpie-Robin is resident and breeds in India, Southern China, South-eastern Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

BEHAVIOUR:
Oriental Magpie-Robin searches for food on the ground, hopping with raised tail and foraging for preys. It also feeds in trees.


This bird is often perched on exposed places, with raised tail and dropped wings. It is sprightly and lively.
Courtship displays show the male giving hearty song, often at dawn and dusk. While singing, it moves the tail up and down in synchrony with the tune. At this period, male is often perched on treetops and sings.
It can become very territorial during breeding season and it is very possessive of its territory which it protects jealously. Intruders are rebuffed with aggressive display showing the male with puffed out plumage, pointed bill upwards, and strutting and posturing in front of the opponent. It may utter discordant calls while chasing intruders away from its territory.
They live solitary, in pairs or in family groups, about human habitations. This species is rather shy and silent outside of breeding season.

Oriental Magpie-Robin uses two kinds of communication behaviour: first, vocal, by songs and calls; then, by posturing: wagging the tail, pecking, submission, begging posturing, body presentation and flying (Ms. Auttpol Nakwa).


FLIGHT:
Oriental Magpie-Robin flies often near the ground, only on short distances. It is a terrestrial bird.

REPRODUCTION:
Oriental Magpie-Robin breeds from February to August. Its nest is located in a cavity, a hole in tree, in a wall, in a building, a ledge under a roof, or any place near humans. Nest can also be built in thick shrubs, in forks of branches in a small tree, even in an old tin can.
Nest is a loose open cup usually built low. It is large, untidy, made with grass and dried leaves, twigs, moss and roots. Interior is lined with fibres or grass.
Female lays 3 to 5 pale greenish-blue eggs, spotted with reddish. Incubation lasts about 12 to 13 days, by both adults. Both parents raise the young which remain in the territory until the next breeding season.

DIET:
Oriental Magpie-Robin feeds mainly on insects caught on the ground, and also flower nectar. It also consumes earthworms, snails, small lizards and some plant matter.
Bengali: উদয়ী দোয়েল
Catalan: shama oriental
Cebuano: siloy-itom ug pútî
Czech: šáma stračí
Danish: Dayal
German: Dajaldrossel, Dajalschama
English: Dyal, Magpie robin, Oriental Magpie Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin
Spanish: Shama Oriental
Spanish (Spain): Shama Oriental
Estonian: pugal-harakööbik
Finnish: harakkatasku
French: Shama dayal
Hungarian: Dayal-rigó
Indonesian: Burung Kucica Kampung, Kucica kampung
Italian: Pettirosso gazza orientale
Japanese: shiki-chō, shikichou
Japanese: シキチョウ
Japanese (Kanji): 四季鳥
Latin: Copsychus saularis, Copsychus saularis saularis, Gracula Saularis
Lithuanian: Rytinė šama
Latvian: žagatu strazds
Malayalam: മണ്ണാത്തി  , മണ്ണാത്തിപ്പുള്ള്
Malay: Burung Murai Kampung
Dutch: Dayallijster
Norwegian: Orientskjæreskvett
Polish: sroczek zmienny
Pinyin: dé-yā-niǎo, jìn niǎo, jīng-yā-què, què-qú, shǐ kēng què, shǐ-yā-què, sì xǐ, tǔ-gēng-niǎo, xìn niǎo, xǐ-què ōu-qú, zhī-shí-niǎo, zhū-shǐ-què, zhū-shǐ-zhā
Russian: Сорочий шама-дрозд
Slovak: šáma stračia
Swedish: orientshama, Skatnäktergal
Tamil: Karuppu Vellai Kuruvi
Thai: นกกางเขนบ้าน , นกจีแจ้บ, นกจีจู๊, นกบินหลาบ้าน, นกอีปุ้ย, นกอีพุ้ย
Thai (Transliteration): nók bin-lăa-bâan, nók cii-câeep, nók cii-cúu, nók ii-pʰúy, nók ii-pûy, nók kaaŋ-kʰĕen bâan
Vietnamese: Chích chòe, Chích chòe than, Chim Chích chòe
Chinese: 信鸟, 喜鹊欧鸲, 四喜, 土更鸟, 屎坑雀, 屎鸦雀, 得鸦鸟, 猪屎喳, 猪屎雀, 知时鸟, 精鸦雀, 进鸟, 鹊鸲
Chinese (Traditional): 信鳥, 喜鵲歐鴝, 四喜, 土更鳥, 屎坑雀, 屎鴉雀, 得鴉鳥, 知時鳥, 精鴉雀, 豬屎喳, 豬屎雀, 進鳥, 鵲鴝
Chinese (Taiwan, Traditional): 鵲鴝
Chinese (Taiwan): 鹊鸲, 鹊鹆