Oriental Magpie Robin

The Oriental Magpie-Robin is the national bird of Bangladesh, where it is known as Doyel/doel and appears on their currency notes as well.

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The Oriental Magpie-Robin is a medium-sized robin (19-20 cm) with a broad white wing-bar running from the shoulder to the tip of the wing, and a long tail with white outer-tail feathers. Males exhibit an overall black plumage whereas females are greyish-brown with the white wing-bar being a common feature. Both sexes have a brown iris, a black bill (beak), and dark legs.

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They are common birds in urban gardens as well as forests. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cage-birds.

One way of spotting this bird is its tail movement: It carries its tail very high over the back, will frequently lower and expand it into a fan, then close and jerk it up again over the back.

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The Oriental Magpie-Robin’s breeding season lasts from the end of March to the end of July and the nest is neatly placed in holes in tree trunks, in gaps in walls, and sometimes on the roofs of houses.

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