White-rumped Shama, Copsychus malabaricus


White-rumped Shama
White-rumped Shamas are native to India, Southeast Asia, and some of the Indonesian islands. They were introduced to Oahu and Kauai in the 1930s, and have since become common there, but are not found on other Hawaiian islands; all of my photographs were taken on family vacations at Haena, Kauai in June of 2007 and 2008. The males, such as the bird shown above, combine striking plumage with an extended melodious thrushlike song; they also mimic a wide variety of other sounds. The song and plumage makes understandable the long-time classification of the species as a thrush with the English name Shama Thrush, but DNA studies eventually led to placement of these birds among the Old World flycatchers, the family that includes the European Robin.


White-rumped Shama
A female, above and below. Females also sing, but a shorter song and only during breeding season.


White-rumped Shama


White-rumped Shama

White-rumped Shama