AVIAN NESTING 1/100 - White-rumped Sharma

Pic1

The White-rumped Shama are shy somewhat  but very territorial. The territories include a male and female during the breeding season with the males defending the territory averaging 0.09 ha in size, but each sex may have different territories when they are not breeding. 

It is in the months of April to June that you can find the female laying a clutch of four or five eggs in a nest placed in the hollow of tree. During courtship, males pursue the female, alight above the female, give a shrill call, and then flick and fan out their tail feathers. This is followed by a rising and falling flight pattern by both sexes. If the male is unsuccessful, the female will threaten the male, gesturing with the mouth open.

This is a first time for me  photographing  its nesting. Pic1 showing the female preparing the nest in a hollow  about 30 ft high from the ground in Rengit Pahang. I cannot approach closer because the tree was in  a swamp patch. The male apparently do nothing but just stands guard. The female will gather, leaves, ferns, and stems to set up nest for laying. Incubation lasts between 12 and 15 days and the nestling period averaged 12.4 days. Both adults feed the young although only the female incubates and broods.

 The eggs are white to light aqua, with variable shades of brown blotching, with dimensions of about 18 and 23 mm (0.7 and 0.9 in).

Pic2