White-browed shama explained

The white-browed shama (Copsychus luzoniensis) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.It is endemic to the Philippines found only on the islands of Luzon,Marinduque and the Polillo Islands. The Visayan shama (C. superciliaris), formerly considered a subspecies, was split as a distinct species in 2021.[1]

Description

EBird describes the bird as "A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of lowland and foothill forest. Male has a black head, upperparts and chest, a single white wingbar, a white belly, pale orange sides, and white outer tail feathers. The female has a gray chest and face with a brown cheek, crown, back, and wings.Heard more often than seen. Song is a pleasant and varied whistled melody, often finishing in a low, descending warbling trill.[2]

They exhibit sexual dimorphism in which females are palers with a gray chest and face with brown head, back and wings. It is typically found in pairs foraging on low and dense foilage. [3]

Habitat and conservation status

Found in primary forest, mature secondary forest typically in below 1,000 masl. It is believed to be generally common.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Species Updates – IOC World Bird List. 2021-05-27. en-US.
  2. Web site: White-browed Shama - eBird . 2024-08-13 . ebird.org . en.
  3. Collar . Nigel . Kirwan . Guy M. . 2020 . White-browed Shama (Copsychus luzoniensis), version 1.0 . Birds of the World . en . 10.2173/bow.whbsha1.01species_shared.bow.project_name . 2771-3105.