Oriental Magpie-Robin
Oriental Magpie-RobinOriental Magpie-RobinOriental Magpie-Robin

Oriental Magpie-Robin

Copsychus saularis

Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Chennai

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

1,541 Verified sightings at Chennai
28,749 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Oriental Magpie-Robin

The Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. The males are distinctive black and white birds with a long tail that is held upright as they forage on the ground or perch conspicuously. Occurring across most of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, they are common birds in urban gardens as well as forests. They are particularly well known for their songs and are popular as cagebirds.

The oriental magpie-robin is considered the national bird of Bangladesh. This species is 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long, including the long tail, which is usually held cocked upright when hopping on the ground. When they are singing a song the tail is normal like other birds. It is similar in shape to the smaller European robin, but is longer-tailed. The male has black upperparts, head and throat apart from a white shoulder patch. The underparts and the sides of the long tail are white. Females are greyish black above and greyish white under. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts and head.

The nominate race is found on the Indian subcontinent... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:18

China · 2025

© xiaodou · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:14

Singapore · 2026

© Soh Kam Yung · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:08

Singapore · 2021

© carmpenterbee · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~80%
2 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
3 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
4 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
5 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
6 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
7 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
8 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
9 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
10 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
11 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~50%
12 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
13 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
14 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~50%
15 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~50%
16 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
17 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
18 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
19 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
20 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
21 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~40%
22 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
23 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
24 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~40%
25 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
26 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
27 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
28 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
29 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
30 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
31 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
32 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
33 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
34 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
35 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
36 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
37 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
38 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
39 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Xiuying District 🇨🇳 China
~90%
2 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
~90%
3 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~80%
4 Xiamen City 🇨🇳 China
~80%
5 Savar 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~80%
6 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~80%
7 Zhuhai [Macau] 🇨🇳 China
~80%
8 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~80%
9 Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal
~80%
10 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
~70%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Bronx Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Phoenix Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Toledo Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Nanning Zoo 🇨🇳 China In captivity
5 Gembira Loka Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
6 Bandung Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
7 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
8 Tracy Aviary 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Macau Zoo 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China In captivity
10 National Aviary 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
11 Sea World Indonesia 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
12 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
13 Jakarta Aquarium 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity

Closest Relatives at Chennai

Pied Bushchat
LC

Pied Bushchat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola caprata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Asian Brown Flycatcher

Asian Brown Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Muscicapa latirostris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Indian Robin

Indian Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicoloides fulicatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Brown-breasted Flycatcher
LC

Brown-breasted Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Muscicapa muttui

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue-throated Flycatcher
LC

Blue-throated Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyornis rubeculoides

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Siberian Stonechat

Siberian Stonechat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola maurus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dark-sided Flycatcher
LC

Dark-sided Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Muscicapa sibirica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
LC

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cyornis tickelliae

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
House Crow
LC

House Crow

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Corvus splendens

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
Large-billed Crow
LC

Large-billed Crow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus macrorhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Common Tailorbird
LC

Common Tailorbird

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Orthotomus sutorius

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Black Drongo
LC

Black Drongo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dicrurus macrocercus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Oriental Magpie-Robin in Chennai?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Magpie-Robin sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 1,541 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 41st most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Oriental Magpie-Robin in Chennai?

March and May–August

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Magpie-Robin in Chennai on a given day, against about 10% in September, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see an Oriental Magpie-Robin?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oriental Magpie-Robin sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Chennai the best place to see an Oriental Magpie-Robin?

97th of 110

Of the 110 cities where we can rate Oriental Magpie-Robin sightings, Chennai ranks 97th at about 20%. The best odds are in Xiuying District (China, about 90%), Bangkok (Thailand, about 90%) and Hong Kong (China, about 80%).

Where does the Oriental Magpie-Robin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Oriental Magpie-Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Chennai (1,541 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Chennai