The Kangean shama (Copsychus nigricauda) is a medium sized passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to the Kangean Islands in Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-rumped shama. The species may be extinct in the wild.
Taxonomy
The Kangean shama was formally described in 1893 by the Dutch scientist Adolphe Vorderman under the binomial nameCittocincla nigricauda.[1][2] The specific epithet combines the Latinniger meaning "black" with cauda meaning "tail".[3] The Kangean shama is now placed with 16 other species in the genus Copsychus that was introduced in 1827 by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler.[4] It was formerly considered as subspecies of the white-rumped shama (Copsychus malabaricus) but is now treated as a separate species based on morphological differences and a molecular genetic study of museum specimens published in 2022.[4][5] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[4]
Description
The Kangean shama has glossy blue-black upperparts, bright chestnut underparts apart from a white vent, a white rump and an almost entirely black tail with white tips to the outer feathers. The sexes are similar in plumage but the tail is shorter in females.[6]
Conservation status
The Kangean shama is highly threatened by the pet trade and is possibly extinct in the wild.[6][7][8]
