Alternative names: Palawan Shama; Black Shama
- Copsychus niger
Identification
18-21 cm.
- All glossy black plumage
- White undertail-coverts
- Long graduated tail with four white outer feathers
- Black bill and legs
Sexes similar. Juveniles have blackish-blue upperparts with buff streaks on crown and spotting on scapulars. The underparts are buffy-rufous with dark brown mottling on chin to mid-breast, the belly is darker brown, whitish on mid-belly to vent and with rufous-buff lower flanks.
Distribution
Endemi to Palawan, Calamian Island and Balabac in the western Philippines.
An uncommon restricted-range species, locally fairly common.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Probably forms a superspecies with Black Shama. Has been considered conspecific with Oriental Magpie-Robin.
Habitat
Found in lowland forest, at forest edge in scrub and secondary growth.
Behaviour
Diet
No information available.
Breeding
Birds in breeding condition recorded in June, fledglings in August. No other information.
Movements
This is a sedentary species.
Reference
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-vented Shama. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-vented_Shama
