Orthotomus ruficeps
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The ashy tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) is a species of songbird from Southeast Asia, formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, it but now placed in the family Cisticolidae. The ashy tailorbird was described by the French ornithologist René Lesson in 1830. It was once treated as being conspecific (the same species) as the olive-backed tailorbird, but the two species are genetically distinct and act as such where their range overlaps in Java. Nine subspecies have been described.
The species is found across Southeast Asia, ranging from southern Myanmar and southern Thailand through the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. It is found widely across Greater Sunda Islands, namely Borneo, Sumatra and Java, as well as smaller islands near these, including the Philippine island of Mapun (which is close to Borneo). Another disjunct population is found in southern Vietnam and Cambodia.
Its natural habitats is typically lowland forests close to the coast, but it has been recorded up to 900 m (3,000 ft) on Sumatra and Borneo. It can occupy a range of forested habitats including mangrove forest, secondary forest, swamp forest and scrubland... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Kuching | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Cần Thơ | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 5 | Johor Bahru | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Padang | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | |
| 9 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Tailorbird sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 1,754 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 242 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Tailorbird in Sepilok on a given day, against about 40% in May, the lowest month.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ashy Tailorbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Ashy Tailorbird sightings, Sepilok has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 50%) and Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Orthotomus
The closest relatives of the Ashy Tailorbird that you can see in Sepilok (genus Orthotomus, Typical Tailorbirds) are Rufous-tailed Tailorbird (about 30%) and Dark-necked Tailorbird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ashy Tailorbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Sepilok (1,754 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
