Oriental Magpie-Robin

Copsychus saularis

National bird of Bangladesh. Cocks its tail like a flag and sings some of the most complex dawn choruses in Asia.

Population: Global population size not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife (species described as "common" over most of its extremely large range, ~19.5 million km² extent of occurrence); regional figures exist (e.g., ~10,000–1,000,000 breeding pairs in China; small introduced population <10,000 pairs in Taiwan) but these are not a global total
Habitat: Open woodlands, gardens, parks, cultivated/arable land, mangroves and swamp forest, subtropical/tropical forest edge, usually near permanent water and human habitation; sea level to about 1,900 m elevation; non-migratory resident
Fun fact: The Oriental Magpie-Robin — known locally as "doyel"/"doel" — is considered the national bird of Bangladesh (it appears on currency and Dhaka's Doel Square landmark), and is prized across South and Southeast Asia for its rich, melodious song, historically making it a popular cagebird (a 2018 survey found roughly 2.5 million kept captive in Java alone).
Range: South and Southeast Asia: eastern Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, southern China (with an introduced population in Taiwan), and mainland Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore) through to Indonesia and the Philippines region
Diet: Mainly insects and other invertebrates gleaned from the ground or trees; also takes flower nectar, earthworms, small lizards (geckos), leeches, centipedes, snails, and occasionally small fish
Size: 0.2 m
Lifespan: 15 years

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