White-rumped Shamas

The White-rumped Shama Thrush is one of the most recognizable softbills kept in our aviaries today. The glossy jet-black head, back, wings and upper tail of the male is contrasted by the rich chestnut brown of his lower breast and belly. The rump and underside of the tail and a very clean, bright white. By comparison, the hen is very subdued in colour being grey and pale brown. Their body size is about the same as a Pekin Robin and the tail is of equal length.

A physical description of these beautiful birds really cannot do then justice. It is their aristocratic nature, and confidence in their keeper, that makes them one of the most sought after of softbills. To compliment the "package" is what one breeder describes as "truly the best song birds I have ever owned". The male Shama is in a class of his own. He has a very varied repertoire that includes wonderful rich melodic combinations of his own, complimented by the songs of any birds within his earshot. One word of warning though, it is best to keep Shamas away from sheep, turkeys or squeaky gates, as these less pleasant noises will also be incorporated into their song. A male Shama we had in England even imitated the sound of a police car siren!!

In the wild the Shama is a bird of the forest, where they are usually seen and not heard. They are widespread throughout India, China and south-east Asia where they are found in evergreen and moist deciduous forests. These are highly prized as songbirds in Asia and the winner of a song contest in Singapore (where the bird is their National bird) has been recorded as being sold for up to $5000, about $2700 US$$.

Shamas are highly insectivorous but are fairly easy to keep once they have adjusted to a domestic diet. We feed our Shamas soaked Zupreem monkey biscuits, softbill pellets, and universal food. Some individuals will take a little fruit, but others ignore it. They enjoy all kinds of insects from mealworms, waxworms, and crickets to spiders, locusts and even small lizards. All food is sprinkled with a multivitamin.

Shamas do best in a planted aviary, where the song of the male will give away his presence as he relaxes in the foliage. The male Shama is used to being the alpha bird in his aviary. If housed with less aggressive species he will enjoy his dominance and peace will reign. However, if he is housed with more aggressive species a male Shama will often be killed trying to exert his dominance. We have found they mix well with non-aggressive birds. Birds with a lot of black in their plumage, like Fairy Bluebirds and Dhyal Thrushes, are not good cohabitants in a Shama’s domain, their black feathers are perceived as a threat by the Shama. Shamas quickly gain confidence in their keepers and, even a wild caught Shama, will soon be taking insects directly from the hand.

They are cavity nesters in the wild but use various nest sites in captivity. They seem to prefer a half-open box, which they will fill to just below the opening and then build a shallow cup out of coconut fiber and fine roots. The nest should be sited in a quiet part of the aviary between 5 and 8 feet off the ground. The female does most (if not all) of the incubating of up to five eggs. The male will help to feed the chicks in the nest and will often feed the fledged chicks by himself as the female may start a second clutch. The young are fed on vast quantities of insects. Once they are independent they MUST be removed from the breeding aviary as the parents will not tolerate their presence.

Do not be scared away from Shamas because they are insectivorous. They are easy to care for and will entertain their lucky owner with some of the best melodies in the avian world.
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