The habitat for these Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach bentet) birds is diminishing and I see them less often; usually further out of the city, where once they were common in the city.
The two images (top and bottom) are of male with a broader black-frontal band (volume of black on the head varies). L. s. bentet is said to have the second longest tail of the subspecies; longest is L. s. longicaudatus.
I managed to record a number of calls and song types made by the male. Full range of calls are not well documented for the region (Wells 2007).
The above sonogram and wave form is of the common harsh, advertising or territorial calls. Note in the recording that the nature of the calls change. I am only showing the first type. I have also sharp ‘yelps’ especially when nesting.
Call recording here: https://www.xeno-canto.org/574539
And here…
Note that there is an anxious Yellow-vented Bulbul and some traffic noise in the background.
The interesting vocalisation is the warbling song that I have heard a few times (above). Lefranc (2011) says “The song is a pleasant, somewhat metallic warble. It contains the imitation of calls and songs of other birds. … The song can be delivered without interruption for 5, 10 or even 15 minutes.”
Song recording here: https://www.xeno-canto.org/574541
The song is a mixture of bird calls and, at times, almost like an Oriental Magpie Robin.
Note that there is an anxious Yellow-vented Bulbul and some traffic noise in the background.
References:
- Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 2 (Passarines). Christopher Helm, London.
- Norbert Lefranc (2011). Shrikes. Helm Identification Guides.
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr) – Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Open ‘grassland’
Date: 9th July 2020
Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone
