The white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) name was derived from a Hindi term meaning song bird - its song is very melodic, and it can also mimic other birds. It is also called the Shama Thrush or White-rumped Shama Thrush because it was formerly placed in the Thrush family, Turdidae. It is very territorial, and males with longer tails may have larger territories. Native to Southeast Asia, it habits very dense undergrowth of tropical broad-leaved forests. It has also been introduced in Hawaii. Natural predators are snakes, raptors and nest robbing omnivores – but the biggest threat comes from live capture for the caged-bird trade because of its song. One of the first recordings ever made of birdsong was of this species. Ludwig Koch of Germany recorded a captive bird in 1889 using an Edison wax cylinder.
