Magpie-Robin (Copsychus Saularis)
This is a sleek looking bird with a tapering tail. The
male is predominantly black with white patches on the wings and belly.
In the female the black is replaced by a slate grey or a brown.
Magpies are believed to be so noisy that the term ‘magpie’
is used for humans who chatter too much, but contrary to this belief
the magpie is observed by ornithologist as a rather shy, silent and
unobtrusive bird that only utters an elegiac ‘swee-ee’
sitting in a shrub.
The magpie-robins do mimic other bird calls with great accuracy. But
it is only in the breeding season that the males put up a grand show,
singing heartily from a treetop early in the morning or at dawn before
retiring for the night. While it sings the tail moves up and down in
synchrony with the tune like the arms of an orchestra conductor. The
breeding male is very possessive of his territory and protects it
jealously. Intruders are rebuffed with a gallant show of aggression
with the feathers all puffed up.
¤ Found In
This bird prefers deciduous forest, secondary jungles and areas
adjoining human habitats. Its range within the Indian sub-continent
extends from Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east to Pakistan in the
west and all the way to Sri Lanka in the south excluding elevations
above 2500m elevation and the arid regions. |
