| White-crowned shama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Sabah, Malaysia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Copsychus |
| Species: | C. stricklandii |
| Binomial name | |
| Copsychus stricklandii | |
Thewhite-crowned shama (Copsychus stricklandii) is a medium sizedpasserine bird in theOld World flycatcherfamilyMuscicapidae. It isendemic to theSoutheast Asian island ofBorneo.[1] TheMaratua shama was formerly treated as asubspecies.
It is closely related to thewhite-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus), and has in the past been sometimes considered asubspecies of that species.[2] TheMaratua shama was formerly treated as asubspecies but is now treated as a separate species based on the differences in morphology andmitochondrial DNA sequences.[3][4] The white-crowned shama is nowmonotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[3]
The specific name was bestowed in honour ofHugh Edwin Strickland[5]
The white-crowned shama is about 21–28 cm (8.3–11.0 in) in length (including a 7 cm (2.8 in) tail in adult males) and 31–42 g (1.1–1.5 oz) in weight. Mainly blue-black upperparts contrast with orange-rufous underparts. It has a white rump and black throat. It is largely similar in appearance to the white-rumped shama subspeciesC. m. suavis, which replaces it in southern and western Borneo, andhybridises with it where the ranges meet.[6] It differs in having a white, rather than black,crown. The distinctive Maratua formC. s. barbouri is about 20% longer than the nominate, and has an all-black tail, rather than white outerrectrices.[1]
White-crowned shamas are bred by localaviculturists in Borneo as cage-birds valued for their singing ability. They continue to be trapped as it is believed that wild-caught young birds are stronger, and better songsters, than those bred in captivity.[1]