Vocalizations: The Oriental Magpie Robin song is the most melodious note you will probably hear. In the non-breeding season, it is shy and quiet, skulking about in undergrowth and brushwood and only uttering plaintive swee-ee and harsh chr-r, chr-r notes from time to time. But it is one of our finest songsters.
During the breeding season, males sing loudly from the tops of trees or other elevated perches. With the approach of the hot weather, the cock recovers his voice, and in his spruce pied livery, he is a striking and happy figure, as from the topmost twigs of a leafless tree, a gatepost, or a hedge, he gladdens the short-lived cool of a May morning with his continuous torrent of far-reaching song. His white-fringed tail constantly spreads and jerks upward, punctuating this bird music. Singing continues intermittently throughout the clay.
He is an accomplished mimic and imitates the calls of many other birds to perfection. That suggests that birds are not philopatric but rather disperse. Once widely recognized as cage birds, they are especially well-known for their singing. Like other birds, their tails are normal when they are singing. The oriental magpie robin sounds are so relaxing and soothing.
The other facts about the Oriental magpie robin.
Family: The Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small passerine bird that is a member of the family Muscicapidae in the genus Copsychus. Earlier, this bird was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now considered an Old-World flycatcher.
Identification: With the exception of a white shoulder patch, the male’s upper body, head, and throat are all black. The long tail’s sides and underparts are both white. Females have a grey-black upper body and a grey-white underbody. Young birds have a brown head and scaly upperparts.
Distribution: The Oriental magpie robin is resident practically throughout the Indian Empire, up to about 4,000 feet in elevation. It does not occur in S.-W. Punjab, Sind, or W. Rajputana. This magpie-robin can be found in Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, south China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Habitat: The Oriental Magpie Robin is also among the more familiar birds found in the haunts of man. A trim black-and-white bird with a cocked tail, as in the Robin. The female bird’s black portion is replaced with brown and slaty-grey. Single or pairs about human habitations. Whether foraging on the ground or perching conspicuously, this robin is a striking black and white bird with a long tail held high. The Oriental magpie-robin can be found in cultivated and open forest regions, frequently near human settlements.
Diet: Although chiefly arboreal, the bird also feeds largely on the ground, hopping about and picking up crickets, grasshoppers, ants, caterpillars, and a host of other insects. Occasionally, one will make short sallies into the air after winged prey. Silk cotton and coral blossoms are visited regularly for the sake of the sugary nectar. During the breeding season, the males love to show off before their mates and indulge in much spreading of tails and ludicrous pulling-out, strutting, and nodding. They become very pugnacious and resent the intrusion of other cocks into their territory. This robin often comes close to humans when feeding.
Nesting: The season over most of its range is between April and July, earlier in the south. The nest is a pad of grass, rootlets, and hair. It is placed in a hole in a wall, tree trunk, or branch, between 5 and 20 feet from the ground. Nest building occurs approximately one week before egg laying, with the female doing the majority of the work.
Eggs: The bird lays three to five eggs—a shade of pale blue-green, blotched and mottled with reddish-brown. The female alone incubates the eggs for eight to fourteen days. The female also feeds the young. During the breeding season, males can be very aggressive and protect their area.
Size: The oriental magpie robin’s long tail is held erect when it hops on the ground, this species measures 7.5 inches in length. Though it has longer tails, its form is similar to that of the smaller European robin.
Read More: The American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
