- Sri Lanka Whistling-thrush
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Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush 
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae Genus: Myophonus Species: M. blighi Binomial name Myophonus blighi
(Holdsworth, 1872)
yellow — boundary of range in the highlands 
A Sri Lanka Whistling-thrush photographed at night
The Sri Lanka Whistling-thrush, Myophonus blighi, is a whistling thrush in the thrush family Turdidae. It is a resident endemic bird in Sri Lanka.
It is found in the highlands of Sri Lanka in jungle or other dense forest near water. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, frogs, earthworms and berries. It lays one or two eggs in a neat cup-shaped nest in a bush or on a ledge near water.
It does not form flocks, although several birds may be loosely associated in suitable habitat.
This is a small whistling thrush, at only 20 cm. Adult males are dark blue with a darker head and back. There are bright blue patches on the shoulders, supercilia and forehead. The female is brown above and chestnut below, but has a bright blue shoulder patch like the male.
The male sings its simple whistling song from trees, usually in deep cover.
This is a notoriously difficult species to see, even when the males are singing in the breeding season, which starts in February. It is very shy, scarce, localised and declining due to habitat loss. Perhaps the best chance is at dawn at Horton Plains National Park, 2000m up in the highlands of Sri Lanka.
In culture
The Whistling-thrush appears in a 75c Sri Lankan postal stamp.[2]
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2006). Myophonus blighi. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is endangered, and the criteria used | status_system = iucn3.1
- ^ http://www.birdtheme.org/country/srilanka.html
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
- Thrushes by Clement and Hathaway, ISBN 0-7136-3940-7
Categories:- IUCN Red List endangered species
- Turdidae
- Animals described in 1872
- Birds of Sri Lanka
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