Oriental Magpie-Robin
Copsychus saularis
The Oriental Magpie-Robin is a charismatic and highly vocal songbird with striking black-and-white (or sooty-grey-and-white for females) plumage. They are celebrated for their exceptionally rich, melodic, and complex whistling songs heard across the Kumaon region.
Species Ecological Profile
Sourced from high-confidence eBird and regional field observations
Open broadleaf woodlands, orchards, garden hedges, hotel grounds, and brushwood borders near the lake. Exceptionally well-adapted to residential margins surrounding Naukuchiatal.
Predominantly insectivorous. Actively hops along lawns, leaf litter, and mud shores foraging for grasshoppers, beetles, ants, caterpillars, and earthworms. Sometimes takes small geckos or flower nectar.
Resident species. They are highly territorial, maintaining stable home ranges in the Bohragaon and Naukuchiatal valleys year-round.
Breeds from March to July. Nests are constructed inside tree hollows, holes in stone walls, or roof eaves using twigs, roots, and dry grasses. Both parents actively feed the clutch of 4–5 eggs.
Highly prominent. They are regularly observed singing from prominent perches like electric lines, garden posts, and oak branches, or bathing actively in shallow spring-fed channels.
Photographic Log
Visual field records captured in Naukuchiatal (Click to enlarge)
