The Malayan whistling thrush or Malaysian whistling-thrush (''Myophonus robinsoni'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

Muscicapidae The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') and north ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

. Due primarily to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, its population is thought to be in decline.

Taxonomy

The Malayan whistling thrush was collected by H. C. Robinson and described as ''Myiophoneus robinsoni'' by

William Robert Ogilvie-Grant William Robert Ogilvie-Grant (25 March 1863 – 26 July 1924) was a Scottish ornithologist. Early life and education Grant was born on 25 March 1863 as the second son of Capt. the Hon. George Henry Essex Ogilvy-Grant, of Easter Elchies, Craigel ...

in 1905. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

is derived from Robinson's surname. File:Malayan Whistling-thrush, Myophonus robinsoni, (NML-VZ 31.12.14.143) collected from Bukit Fraser, Pahang, Malaysia on 22 October 1909, with a Selangor Museum label.jpg, Malayan Whistling-thrush collected by H. C. Robinson, now in the collections of

World Museum World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...

Distribution and habitat

Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

s. It is usually found near streams. It is situated at elevations of about in central peninsular Malaysia. The Malayan whistling thrush historically ranged from the

Cameron Highlands The Cameron Highlands () is a district in Pahang, Malaysia, occupying an area of . To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with Perak. Situated at the northwestern tip of Pahang, Cameron Hi ...

to the

Genting Highlands Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang, it was established in 1965 by the late Malaysian busi ...

. It was present in the Cameron Highlands, where it was trapped in the 1950s and 1960s, but a further survey in 2009–2010 failed to find it there, bringing into question the reliability of intermediate sightings; it is possible that there may have been confusion with the subspecies ''dicrorhynchus'' of the

blue whistling thrush The blue whistling thrush (''Myophonus caeruleus'') is a bird in the Old World flycatchers family Muscicapidae that is found in the mountains of Central Asia, South Asia, China and Southeast Asia. It is known for its loud human-like whistling son ...

(''Myophonus caeruleus''). Since 1980, it has been trapped and recorded with certainty only in

Fraser's Hill Fraser's Hill (Malay language, Malay: ) is a hill resort in Raub District, Pahang, Malaysia, on the Pahangese and Selangor, Selangorean sections of the Titiwangsa Mountains. It is about north of Kuala Lumpur. In 1890, Louis James Fraser estab ...

Description

The species is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

. Its length is . The length of the wings of the male is . The wing length of the female is . Its weight is . The male is mostly black-blue. Parts of the head are deep purplish-blue. There is a patch of metallic blue in the lesser coverts. The male and female are very similar. The female is slightly browner and slightly smaller. The juvenile is sootier.

Behaviour and ecology

Its call is a ''tseee''. Its song contains "fluty and scratchy notes". Its diet is probably insects. Breeding has been observed in March and September. The clutch size is 1–2 eggs. The eggs are bluish-grey with pinkish-brown specks. The nest is built of dried plant material and is in a half-cup shape.

Status

The species' population is estimated at 2500–9999 mature and 3500–15000 total individuals. The population is suspected to be decreasing. The species has areas of undisturbed habitat, but may be threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and degradation caused by conversion of forest to agricultural land,

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of Body of water, water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and ...

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

and

overdevelopment In international economics, overdevelopment refers to a way of seeing global inequality and pollution that focuses on the negative consequences of overconsumption, excessive consumption. It is the opposite extreme to underdevelopment. In mainstre ...

. Because the species may have a small range and a small population, the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

has listed it as

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

Taxonomy

Distribution and habitat

Description

Behaviour and ecology

Status

References

Notes

Citations

Further reading