Praveen g nair

Portfolio

News, Aricles, New Uploads and

Travel & Photograpny Tips

Malabar whistling thrush, Myophonus horsfieldii

Myophonus-horsfieldii or Malabar-whistling-thrush

Code: Birds Life
Skills: Birds of India

Project Description

The Malabar whistling thrush (Myophonus horsfieldii) is a captivating bird found in the Western Ghats and associated hills of peninsular India.

Taxonomy and Description:
- The Malabar whistling thrush belongs to the family Muscicapidae.
- It has earned the nickname “whistling schoolboy” due to its dawn calls that possess a remarkably human-like quality.
- These birds are monotypic, previously considered conspecific with the Taiwan whistling thrush.
Physical Characteristics:
- The Malabar whistling thrush is a large bird, measuring about 25-30 cm in length and weighing 101-130 g.
- Males have a blackish upper body with shiny metallic blue patches on the forehead and shoulders.
- Their back, scapulars, and mid-breast to belly exhibit glossy royal-blue scaling.
- The bill and legs are black.
- Females are similar but have weaker scaling below.
- Juveniles are black with a glossy blue shoulder patch and wing edgings, visible in oblique lighting due to ultraviolet reflectance.
Distribution and Habitat:
- These thrushes inhabit dark undergrowth in dense riverine forests.
- They forage along rocky hill streams and rivers, from foothills up to 2200 m above sea level.
- The Malabar whistling thrush is found all along the Western Ghats south of the Surat Dangs.
- They also occur along the Satpura range to Chhattisgarh, northwestern Orissa (Surguja and Simlipal National Park), and locally in the Eastern Ghats.
- Populations are not migratory but disperse widely in winter.
Behavior and Song:
- These birds are usually seen singly or in pairs.
- They often inhabit areas close to human habitation.
- Males sing varied and melodious whistling songs from trees during summer.
- At other times of the day, they emit sharp single or two-note high-pitched whistles.
- Historically, they were popular as cage birds due to their ability to learn entire tunes.