Mysore/Mysuru: In a special discovery, bird lovers have spotted a White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) at the Karanji Lake inside the Chamarajendra Zoological Garden. A group of volunteers reported the rare sighting at the Lake. 

A team comprising S. Nisarga, S. Shylajesha and Sudhanshu Hegde spotted the songster bird and according to Shylajesha, the bird is usually found in the thick forests of Biligiri Rangana Betta, Male Madeshwara Betta and Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

It is a thrush-like bird with a long, graduated tail. Males are glossy back above and rich chestnut below while the females are similar but paler. Juveniles are reddish brown with rusty wing bars. Dense lowland and hill forests, forest edge, and overgrown orchards and plantations are the bird’s favourite habitat. 

It is a popular cage bird and its song is a varied series of loud whistles and flutelike notes, often involving mimicry of other birds.