The magpie-robins or shamas (from shama, Bengali and Hindi for C. malabaricus) are medium-sized insectivorous birds (some also eat berries and other fruit) in the genus Copsychus. They were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are garden- and forest-dwelling species found in Africa and Asia.
The genus Copsychus was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1827. The type species was subsequently designated as the oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840. The name Copsychus is from the Ancient Greek kopsukhos or kopsikhos, meaning "blackbird".
The genus contains 17 species: Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Copsychus saularis Oriental magpie-robin Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, southern China, Malaysia and Singapore Copsychus sechellarum Seychelles magpie-robin the Seychelles Copsychus mindanensis Philippine magpie-robin the Philippines Copsychus albospecularis Madagascar magpie-robin Madagascar Copsychus pyrropygus Rufous-tailed shama southern Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo Copsychus fulicatus Indian robin Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka Copsychus luzoniensis White-browed shama the Philippines Copsychus superciliaris Visayan shama Visayan Islands in the Philippines Copsychus niger White-vented shama Palawan, Balabac and Calamian in the PhilippinesCopsychus cebuensis Black shamaCebu in the Philippines Copsychus albiventris Andaman shama the Andaman Islands Copsychus omissus (split from C. malabaricus) Larwo shamaJava Copsychus stricklandii White-crowned shama north Borneo and BanggiCopsychus barbouri (split from C. stricklandii)Maratua shamaMaratua (extinct in the wild) Copsychus nigricauda (split from C. malabaricus) Kangean shamaKangean Islands (probably extinct in the wild)Copsychus leggei (split from C. malabaricus) Sri Lanka shamaSri Lanka Copsychus malabaricus White-rumped shama India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Java, Borneo
The Seychelles magpie-robin is one of the most endangered birds in the world, with a population of less than 250, although this is a notable increase from just 16 in 1970.
References