Orthotomus chaktomuk
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk) is a species of bird endemic to Cambodia, likely confined to a single dense shrub habitat in the floodplain of the Mekong river. It was first discovered and recorded by scientists in 2009 in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, during avian influenza checks. In 2013, it was determined to be a unique species and formally described. It is a very small bird, about 10 cm long, with an orange-red tuft on its head.
The Cambodian tailorbird was discovered in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, in 2009, during avian influenza checks. Since then, it has been spotted in various parts of Phnom Penh, including on a construction site where bird researcher Ashish John photographed it. His picture was later used to help describe the bird.
In June 2012, John began collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife International, the University of Kansas, Louisiana State University, and the Sam Veasna Centre to test the bird's plumage, genetics, and song. The tests determined that it was a unique species. The paper formally describing the Cambodian tailorbird was published in a special online early-view issue of the Oriental... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cambodian Tailorbird sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 79th most-seen of the 154 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cambodian Tailorbird in Phnom Penh on a given day, against under 5% in June to January, the lowest months. Those are among Phnom Penh's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cambodian Tailorbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Phnom Penh, in our data
Phnom Penh is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cambodian Tailorbird sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Orthotomus
The closest relatives of the Cambodian Tailorbird that you can see in Phnom Penh (genus Orthotomus, Typical Tailorbirds) are Common Tailorbird (about 70%) and Ashy Tailorbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cambodian Tailorbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Phnom Penh (96 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.
