Oriental Magpie Robins were once widespread in Singapore as well. In the 1920s it was even said to be amongst the 3 most common garden birds in Singapore. Now, this small bird with a big voice is regarded as being endangered here. Fortunately, this adaptable bird has a very large range(from tropical South Asia to Southeast Asia) and apparently, globally its population is stable. In Sebana, at least, it appears to be doing just fine :)
 |
| Male Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) |
These petite birds are known to forage for insects on the ground and on low branches, attacking them by pouncing on them. So small... yet so vicious.
Notice the picture below: The male is black, whilst the female is grey. One tends not to notice the female because she's usually more quiet, unlike the attention seeking male. Not that we mind his attention seeking little self of course, live music and all.
Also, it's hard to tear your eyes away from the beautiful male to take a look out for the comparatively drab female.
Also, it's hard to tear your eyes away from the beautiful male to take a look out for the comparatively drab female.
 |
| Male(above) Female(below) Oriental Magpie Robins (Copsychus saularis) |
When the male finally does manage to get his girl(or probably any girl for that matter...), they settle down into a nice little cavity, usually in trees. Very much like hornbills eh? The female assumes the traditional role of being responsible for most of the parental care- preparing the nest, feeding the chicks etc. while her man spends his energy and time defending his prime mating territory from other eager males. So territorial are they, that they are even known to respond to their own reflection! Considering that the male is now somewhat free from parental duties... one wonders... is he polygamous? Does he sow his wild oats when no one's looking?
Males serenade females with their beautiful voices, sometimes coordinating it with a little 'dance' as well: the tail jiggle. In Southeast Asia, mating season is from January to June. So that's when they're going to be singing their little hearts out. Enjoy a brief sample below :)
Come fly with me*, let's fly, let's fly away...
Considering how delightful this little ball of feathers is, it really is unsurprising that it has been given the honour of being the national bird of Bangladesh. It even appears on their currency, forever marking their presence in history.
References
 |
| Bangladeshi 2 taka note [Adapted from this website on 5th May 2010] |
BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Copsychus saularis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/3/2010
Zebutionary
Come fly with me: Sung by Frank Sinatra, lyrics by Sammy Cahn
No comments:
Post a Comment