Magpie-robins | |
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Male white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Muscicapidae |
Genus: | Copsychus Wagler, 1827 |
Type species | |
Gracula saularis [1] Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Species | |
see text |
The magpie-robins or shamas (from shama, Bengali and Hindi for C. malabaricus) [2] are medium-sized insectivorous birds (some also eat berries and other fruit) in the genus Copsychus. They were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are garden- and forest-dwelling species found in Africa and Asia.
The genus Copsychus was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1827. [3] The type species was subsequently designated as the oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840. [4] [5] The name Copsychus is from the Ancient Greek kopsukhos or kopsikhos, meaning "blackbird". [6]
The genus contains 17 species: [7]
Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Copsychus saularis | Oriental magpie-robin | Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, southern China, Malaysia and Singapore | |
Copsychus sechellarum | Seychelles magpie-robin | the Seychelles | |
Copsychus mindanensis | Philippine magpie-robin | the Philippines | |
Copsychus albospecularis | Madagascar magpie-robin | Madagascar | |
Copsychus pyrropygus | Rufous-tailed shama | southern Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo | |
Copsychus fulicatus | Indian robin | Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka | |
Copsychus luzoniensis | White-browed shama | the Philippines | |
Copsychus superciliaris | Visayan shama | Visayan Islands in the Philippines | |
Copsychus niger | White-vented shama | Palawan, Balabac and Calamian in the Philippines | |
Copsychus cebuensis | Black shama | Cebu in the Philippines | |
Copsychus albiventris | Andaman shama | the Andaman Islands | |
Copsychus omissus (split from C. malabaricus) | Larwo shama | Java | |
Copsychus stricklandii | White-crowned shama | north Borneo and Banggi | |
Copsychus barbouri (split from C. stricklandii) | Maratua shama | Maratua (extinct in the wild) | |
Copsychus nigricauda (split from C. malabaricus) | Kangean shama | Kangean Islands (probably extinct in the wild) | |
Copsychus leggei (split from C. malabaricus) | Sri Lanka shama | Sri Lanka | |
Copsychus malabaricus | White-rumped shama | India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Java, Borneo | |
The Seychelles magpie-robin is one of the most endangered birds in the world, with a population of less than 250, although this is a notable increase from just 16 in 1970.
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World, with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat and northern wheatear, found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family is relatively large and includes 357 species, which are divided into 54 genera.
Pionus is a genus of medium-sized parrots native to Mexico, and Central and South America. Characteristic of the genus are the chunky body, bare eye ring, and short square tail. They are superficially similar to Amazon parrots, but smaller, and in flight their wing-strokes are far deeper. Coloration is generally subdued yet complex compared to member species of the genus Amazona; under bright lighting, their feathers shimmer with iridescent brilliance. All species share bright red undertail coverts; the scientific name of one species, the blue-headed parrot, refers to this. Males and females are similar, with no notable sexual dimorphism.
The scrub robins or bush chats are medium-sized insectivorous birds in the genus Cercotrichas. They were formerly considered to be in the thrush family, (Turdidae), but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family, (Muscicapidae). They are not closely related to the Australian scrub-robins, genus Drymodes in the family Petroicidae.
The Indian robin is a species of passarine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is widespread in the Indian subcontinent and ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The males of the northern subspecies have brown backs whose extent gradually reduces southwards, with the males of the southern subspecies having all-black backs. They are commonly found in open scrub areas and often seen running along the ground or perching on low thorny shrubs and rocks. The long tail is usually held up and the chestnut undertail coverts and dark body make them easily distinguishable from pied bushchats and Oriental magpie-robins.
The white-rumped shama is a passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher 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. The Larwo shama, the Kangean shama and the Sri Lanka shama were formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama.
The yellow-eyed junco is a species of junco, a group of small New World sparrows.
Melaenornis is a genus of small passerine birds in the large family Muscicapidae commonly known as the Old World flycatchers. They are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa.
The yellow-necked spurfowl or yellow-necked francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is named for the yellow patch found on its neck. Males of this species have been noted to have spurs on the back of their legs.
Hydropsalis is a genus of nightjars in the family Caprimulgidae. The species are widely distributed across the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World.
Cyornis is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae most of which are native to Southeast Asia.
Myiagra is a genus of passerine birds in the family Monarchidae, the monarch flycatchers, native to Australasia, sometimes referred to as the broad-billed flycatchers or simply broadbills.
The rufous-tailed shama is a species of passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in extreme southern Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Arses is a genus of monarch flycatchers in the family Monarchidae. The genus is restricted to forest and second growth on the island of New Guinea, a few surrounding islands and northern Queensland, Australia. The genus is separated by their frilled necks, fleshy blue eye wattles and delicate pendent nests. They also have a distinctive foraging technique, hopping up tree trunks in a spiral fashion.
Tanygnathus is a genus of parrots in the Psittaculini tribe, of the superfamily of Psittacoidea.
The Philippine magpie-robin is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It was formerly a subspecies of Oriental magpie-robin but was designated as its own species.
Dessonornis is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Larwo shama is a medium sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is native to central and eastern Java. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama.
The Sri Lanka shama is a medium-sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to Sri Lanka. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama.
The Kangean shama is a medium sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to the Kangean Islands in Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama. The species may be extinct in the wild.
The Maratua shama is a medium sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is found on the small island of Maratua, east of Borneo in Indonesia. It may now be extinct in the wild. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the white-crowned shama.