Sri Lankan Shama | White-rumped Shama

A thrushlike bird with a long, graduated tail. Males are glossy black above and rich chestnut below. Females are similar but paler. Juveniles are reddish brown with rusty wingbars. Occurs in dense lowland and hill forests, forest edge, and overgrown orchards and plantations; widely poached for the cagebird trade in much of its native range. The song is a varied series of loud whistles and flutelike notes, often involving mimicry of other birds; does not repeat phrases. Call is a sharp “tsick.” Introduced to the Hawaiian Islands and Taiwan.

The nominate race is found in the Western Ghats and parts of southern India while leggei is found in Sri Lanka.

They feed on insects in the wild but in captivity they may be fed on a diet of boiled, dried legumes with egg yolk and raw meat.