Common woodshrike facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Common woodshrike
T. p. pondicerianus, India
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Vangidae
Genus:	Tephrodornis
Species:	T. pondicerianus
Binomial name
Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Rough distribution range
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The common woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) is a small bird found in parts of Asia. It is usually considered part of the Vangidae bird family. This bird is mostly ashy brown. It has a dark patch on its cheek and a wide white stripe above its eye.

You can find common woodshrikes in thin forests and scrublands. They often hunt insects and sometimes join other insect-eating birds. A similar bird in Sri Lanka used to be thought of as the same species. But now, it is known as a separate species called the Sri Lanka woodshrike.

About Its Name

The common woodshrike was first officially described in 1789. A German scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it the scientific name Muscicapa pondiceriana. Later, in 1832, an English scientist named William Swainson placed it in a new group called Tephrodornis.

The name Tephrodornis comes from two old Greek words. Tephōdēs means "like ashes" or "ash-coloured." Ornis means "bird." So, its name describes its ash-like colour.

There are three main types, or subspecies, of the common woodshrike:

• T. p. pallidus: Found in Pakistan and northwest India.
• T. p. pondicerianus: Found from eastern India to southern Laos.
• T. p. orientis: Found in Cambodia and southern Vietnam.

The Sri Lanka woodshrike (Tephrodornis affinis) used to be considered a type of common woodshrike. However, scientists now see it as its own species. This is because it looks different and has different calls. Also, male and female Sri Lanka woodshrikes look very different from each other.

What It Looks Like

The common woodshrike is a dull, ashy brown colour. Like other woodshrikes, it has a large head and a strong, hooked beak. It has a wide, creamy white stripe above its eye. Below this stripe is a dark patch on its cheek.

Its outer tail feathers are white, which stands out against its dark tail. Young common woodshrikes look a bit different. They have streaks and spots on their head and white spots on their back. Their underside is also streaked, and their chest has many markings. The northern type, pallidus, is lighter brown on top. Its central tail feathers are brown, not black.

How It Lives

T. p. pallidus showing the white outer tail feathers and brown central tail feathers (Punjab).

Common woodshrikes are usually seen in pairs. They have a loud, whistling song with several notes. Their usual call sounds like a sad weet-weet, followed by quick whi-whi-whi-whee?.

They mostly eat insects, which they find on branches and leaves in trees. Sometimes, they catch insects in the air or go down to the ground. After landing on a branch, they often adjust their wings, raising them over their tail.

They build their nests in summer, before the rainy season starts. Their nest is shaped like a cup and is built on a bare tree fork. They make the nest from plant fibres and bark, held together with spiderwebs. They cover the outside with bits of bark and lichen. The inside is lined with soft, silky plant fibres.

A female woodshrike usually lays three eggs. Both parents help to incubate the eggs. However, it is believed that only the female feeds the young birds. The young are fed insects and berries. Sometimes, these birds can raise two groups of young in one year.