A strong contender for the most musical bird in Sri Lanka, rivalled perhaps only by White-rumped shama(Copysychus malabaricus).A familiar garden bird,often seen singing with great gusto.Its repertoire is varied and it intersperses long melancholy passages with rapid,musical sequences.The scoled note is a harsh screech.Female has greyish-black upperparts and greyishbreast.The birds feed mainly on ground-dwelling invertebrates.
Sri Lanka has reputation for being one of the best places to see this exquisite bird.A migrant that disperses thought the island right up to the highland.It can be encountered in forest,village,garden and town parks.Like many striking plumage,evolution has not endowed it with musical call or song..Its territorial song is a distinctive loud queek-quiyo in which the first syllable is higher.The Scold notes are a harshqueeeyaand a clearerkeeee.
(m)-Very common.Found throughtout the island, prefering open woodlands and gardens.Takes part in migration.Flight graceful and gliding,frequently basking in the sunlight.During dry weather they settle on damp earth.
(m)-Common.Found in the wet zone lowlands to mid hills, prefering open woodlands.Male visits damp earth,sometimes in swarms;female flies low,often in waste areas.
