Alternative names: Straits Robin, Magpie Robin
- Copsychus saularis
Identification
19–21 cm (7½-8¼ in); including long tail
- Black upperparts, head and throat
- White shoulder patch, underparts and tail side
Females
- Grey upperparts
- Greyish white underparts
Juveniles have scaly brown upperparts and head
Variation
Males in Borneo have an all black belly.
Distribution
Southern Asia from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Borneo, Indonesia and south China. Possible spread north into Afghanistan with probably the first sighting for the country in Camp Bastion, Helmand on 2nd April 2012.
Taxonomy
Philippine Magpie-Robin was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
7 subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. s. saularis:
- North-eastern Pakistan, Nepal, and northern India to eastern and southern China, Hainan Island, Thailand, and Indochina
- C. s. ceylonensis:
- South East India and Sri Lanka
- C. s. andamanensis:
- C. s. musicus:
- C. s. amoenus:
- C. s. adamsi:
- North Borneo, Banggi and adjacent islands
- C. s. pluto:
- East Borneo and Maratua Islands
Habitat
Open woodland, cultivated areas and around human habitation.
Behaviour
Action
They hop on the ground with a frequently cocked tail.
Breeding
The build their nests in a hole, often in a wall. The clutch consists of 3-6 eggs which are incubated by both sexes.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of crickets, particularly crickets, beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps and termites.
Vocalisation
The male sings from a perch during the breeding season. It is a loud, tuneful, song.
In the recording here one male sitting high up on a Pine tree is giving song with a variety of intervening calls.
Recording © by Alok Tewari
Sat Tal, Dist. Nainital, Alt. 5500-6000 feet above MSL, India, April-2015
In the file below is evening song, rendered at the Sunset time, during summer :
Recording © by Alok Tewari
In the BG is faint call by another Magpie Robin, and brief calls by Rose-ringed Parakeet and Brown-headed Barbet.
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, June-2017
Recording © by Alok Tewari
Singing from a high perch in a pine tree, early morning.
Mussoorie Hill Station, altitude 6500 feet, Uttarakhand Himalayas, India; 30 April 2024, 7.51 am.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum thread discussing the possible split of Philippine Magpie-Robin
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
- Birdforum thread discussing taxonomy of Magpie-Robins
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Oriental Magpie-Robin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Oriental_Magpie-Robin
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
