Black Shama. The bird symbol of Cebu
You might not expect many wildlife species in Cebu Island. It is located in the central part of the Philippines and is very densely populated by us humans. There is, however, this gem among bird species – the black shama (Copsychus cebuensis). It is locally known as siloy, and only lives on this island. In 2012, it was considered to be endangered. Previously researchers thought it has a small population and declining range as a result of human activities. However, numerous studies revealed that the black shama population is widely distributed in Cebu’s forest patches. Woah! It was even reported to have a stable population trend.
All photos courtesy of Bobby Kintanar from Flickr.
What does black shama look like?
The black shama belongs to the Old World Flycatchers family. It is a non-migratory bird with an estimated length of 20 – 25 cm. Its long tail is usually held upright during flight and upon perch. It eats insects and other small invertebrates.
Despite its name, only a male black shama has a glossy blue-black plumage. A female, in contrast, has a gray or soot-like plumage with a rusty belly. How does it sound? The black shama emits a sound which is described as a series of long and trilling whistles. This bird often emits these sounds in the early morning and late afternoon. Interestingly, hearing it is more plausible than seeing it. It was even described as cryptic for its apparent shyness in the presence of humans.
The breeding season occurs between February to September. By then a male black shama wards off rivals from its territory by emitting complicated songs and posturing aggressively. Its breeding territories are often located in forest-edge habitats.
Where does black shama live?
The black shama is not very choosy when it comes to its habitat. Yet, it does prefer lowland areas. Birds should have a high percentage of canopy cover (a lot of tree crowns) in the older, taller forest and the dense shrubs of younger, shorter forests.
It was reported in at least nine forest fragments in Cebu with forest covers ranging from 30 to 1,200 hectares. What is more, it was even found in areas surrounded by agricultural lands and degraded badly. Algeria, Alcoy, Argao, Boljoon, Catmon, Cebu City (Tabunan and Buhisan watershed), Consolacion-Mandaue City (Casili), Dalaguete and Sogod are some of the areas where Black shama has been spotted.
What is the conservation status of this Cebu’s gem?
In the 20th century, numerous studies stated that the black shama population was low. Some even described it as a very rare bird species. The largest group reported at that time was composed of 50 individuals in Casili, Consolacion on an approximate small area of 10 km2.
Currently, this bird species is listed to be of Least Concern (LC). Contrary to what was previously thought of their population, there are more than 10,000 mature individuals across Cebu. The biggest proportion of them was revealed in Alcoy with an estimated 10,470 black shama individuals, followed by Argao (711 individuals) and Dalaguete (325 individuals).
What bothers the black shama?
Although it is not considered to be endangered any longer and was observed to have tolerated degraded forest patches, the protection and conservation of its habitat is still crucial. Why do we say so if there are reportedly that many? It is because of the absence of bird encounters in seven areas known to be its former range.
As it is, Cebu’s remaining forests are highly fragmented and isolated from one another. In the Central Cebu Protected Landscape alone, there were more small forest patches (less than 20 ha) than large ones. What escalated the situation are hunting as well as habitat destruction and degradation. Again, humans are the villains here, as the reasons behind this citation are establishing new settlements, agriculture, mining, firewood gathering… All of these were still observed in the remaining habitats of the black shama. What surely can be done is connecting forest patches by establishing corridors with native tree species and rehabilitation of highly degraded habitats.
Is the outlook good?
The black shama population is clearly not threatened any longer as they occur in higher numbers than what was previously known. However, the current state of its habitat is questionable at best. Our recurring and intensified activities have a huge impact, both on the bird itself and its habitat. Therefore, it is best that we take precautions and act as early as now. The black shama is an endemic species…. Thus, it is a treasure to behold.
And we, in the Kahibalo Foundation, try to act early. We conduct educational programmes with high school pupils and school teachers to make them take this early action. We also bring up new wildlife researchers at universities to act not only now, but when the situation gets worse, they are fully equipped and motivated to fight. Not only for black shama, but all of our surroundings. Want to learn how we do it? Invite us to your school!
Author: Franchesca Hortel (USC’s Student)