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By Alexander Wetmore
The sweet-voiced shama (Kittacincla malabarica), of handsome plumage, a member of
the family of thrushes, is found from India and
Ceylon to Yunnan, Borneo, and Java. The
long tail varies considerably in length and often
becomes frayed and worn unless the birds are
kept in large enclosures (Color Plate VIII).
The female is gray instead of black.
In captivity the shama is primarily an aviary
bird, as it is of nervous temperament, but it
can be handled in cages with a little attention
and often becomes very tame. Ordinarily it is
kept only by bird fanciers, as it requires soft
food, meal worms, and other similar diet.
In its native home the shama lives in thickets and jungles. This accounts for its shyness
when caged, as it is accustomed to cover and
is ill at ease in the open when alarmed. Its
beautiful song of rich notes is highly varied,
and it is said to mimic the calls of other birds
to some extent.
Originally appeared in the December 1938 issue of the National Geographic Magazine
This Web version COPYRIGHT 2004
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