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 ~40% · Likely
at Singapore

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

5,440 Verified sightings at Singapore
28,749 In all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
June 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 Singapore

White-rumped Shama
LC

White-rumped Shama

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Copsychus malabaricus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Asian Brown Flycatcher

Asian Brown Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Muscicapa latirostris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher
LC

Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cyornis rufigastra

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Korean Flycatcher
LC

Korean Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ficedula zanthopygia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Redstart
LC

Black Redstart

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Phoenicurus ochruros

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Daurian Redstart
LC

Daurian Redstart

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Phoenicurus auroreus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Spotted Flycatcher
LC

Spotted Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa striata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pied Bushchat
LC

Pied Bushchat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola caprata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Siberian Blue Robin

Siberian Blue Robin

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Luscinia cyane

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mugimaki Flycatcher
LC

Mugimaki Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ficedula mugimaki

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ferruginous Flycatcher
LC

Ferruginous Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa ferruginea

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

Dark-sided Flycatcher

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Muscicapa sibirica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Before you go

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

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Magpie-Robin sighting in Singapore on a given day, based on 5,440 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 298 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

April to August

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Magpie-Robin in Singapore on a given day, against about 20% in November, 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 Singapore the best place to see an Oriental Magpie-Robin?

79th of 110

Of the 110 cities where we can rate Oriental Magpie-Robin sightings, Singapore ranks 79th at about 40%. 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 Singapore (5,440 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.

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