The Sri Lanka shama is a medium-sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to Sri Lanka. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama.
Region
Sri Lanka
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland and foothill evergreen rainforest, dense secondary growth, riparian thickets, and well-wooded plantations adjacent to native forest. Prefers shaded, tangled undergrowth with plenty of leaf litter and fallen logs for foraging. Often along streams and forest edges where cover is thick. It avoids open country and heavily urbanized areas but may use thick gardens near forest.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Sri Lanka shama is a forest-dwelling songbird celebrated for its rich, melodious voice and remarkable mimicry. Males have especially long tails and perform display flights during courtship. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the white-rumped shama but is now regarded as a distinct Sri Lankan endemic by several authorities. It favors dense undergrowth and often remains hidden while singing from shaded perches.
Temperament
shy and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and agile through undergrowth
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, maintaining well-defined territories, especially during breeding. Nests in cavities, holes in stumps, or crevices, lining them with roots and fibers. Pairs are monogamous for the season and males perform song displays with fanned tails to attract mates and deter rivals.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Rich, fluty phrases delivered from shaded perches, often interspersed with mimicry of other species. The song is powerful for the bird’s size and can carry through dense forest, while alarm calls are sharper, metallic chatters.
Plumage
Male with glossy black head and upperparts, bright rufous underparts, and a contrasting white rump; tail long and graduated. Female is more brownish-olive above with duller rufous below and shorter tail. Both sexes show clean white rump when flying. Juveniles are mottled with buff and brown spotting.
Diet
Primarily hunts insects such as beetles, ants, termites, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, as well as spiders and other small invertebrates. Occasionally takes small snails or other soft-bodied prey. Will supplement with berries and other soft fruits, particularly when insect activity is low.
Preferred Environment
Forages close to the ground in leaf litter, along fallen logs, and at the edges of thickets. Often sallies from low perches to snatch prey and returns to cover, using shaded areas along streams and forest trails.
