Habitat
White-rumped Shamas in their native range inhabit the undergrowth of tropical forests, overgrown tree plantations, and mangroves. In the Hawaiian Islands, they inhabit both native and non-native forests, scrubland, and suburban yards. They are most common in areas dominated by non-native plants and with a dense understory.
Back to topFood
White-rumped Shamas feed mainly on arthropods, including ants, caterpillars, moths, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, centipedes, and spiders. They also eat earthworms and berries. Shamas typically pick insects from the leaves of low vegetation or from the ground.
Back to topNesting
Nest Placement
Placed in natural cavities in trees and bamboo, and in nest boxes and other artificial cavities.
Nest Description
A cup constructed of stems, leaves, grasses, and twigs, built on a thick layer of leaves.
Nesting Facts
| Clutch Size: | 2-5 eggs |
| Egg Description: | Pale blue-green, with heavy reddish-brown splotches. |
Behavior
White-rumped Shamas typically keep to dense vegetation, where they are more often heard than seen. Females are rarely seen outside of the breeding season. Pairs are usually monogamous, but on a few occasions, researchers have documented two adult males feeding nestlings of a single female. The female incubates a clutch of 3–5 eggs and broods the chicks. Both sexes feed the nestlings, which leave the nest after 11–13 days, and also feed fledglings for up to 26 days. Young birds do not seem to associate with each other after fledgling, and in general, White-rumped Shamas do not flock.
Back to topConservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists White-rumped Shama’s conservation status as Least Concern due to its extremely large range, a population believed to exceed 10,000 mature individuals, and a moderate population decline. However, White-rumped Shama is one of the most popular species in Southeast Asian songbird competitions, and it has experienced local extinctions in parts of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo as a direct result of the cage-bird trade. As a result, conservationists have recommended that White-rumped Shama be listed as a CITES Appendix II species, which would regulate trade of the species and ensure that it is not detrimental to the species’ survival.
Back to topCredits
BirdLife International. 2021. Kittacincla malabarica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T103894856A183077961. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T103894856A183077961.en.
Floyd, T. (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp, and T. Inskipp (2011). A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Leupen, B. T. C., K. Krishnasamy, C. R. Shepherd, S. C. L. Chng, D. Bergin, J. A. Eaton, D. A. Yukin, S. K. Pei Hue, A. Miller, K. A.-I. Nekaris, V. Nijman, S. Saaban, and M. A. Imron (2018). Trade in White-rumped Shamas Kittacincla malabarica demands strong national and international responses. Forktail 34:1–8.
Pratt, H.D., Bruner, P.L. and Berrett, D.G. (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Roberts , G. E., T. D. Male, and S. Conant (2024). White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus), version 1.2. In Birds of the World (B. K. Keeney and S. M. Billerman, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whrsha.01.2