Bushshrike
Encyclopedia
The bushshrikes are smallish passerine
bird
species
. They were formerly classed with the true shrike
s in the family Laniidae, but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group as the family Malaconotidae.
This is an African group of species which are found in scrub or open woodland. They are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.
Some bushshrikes have flamboyant displays. The male puffbacks puff out the loose feathers on their rump and lower back, to look almost ball-like.
These are mainly insectivorous forest or scrub birds. Up to four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a tree.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. They were formerly classed with the true shrike
Shrike
Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits...
s in the family Laniidae, but are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group as the family Malaconotidae.
This is an African group of species which are found in scrub or open woodland. They are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black; some species are quite secretive.
Some bushshrikes have flamboyant displays. The male puffbacks puff out the loose feathers on their rump and lower back, to look almost ball-like.
These are mainly insectivorous forest or scrub birds. Up to four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a tree.
List of species in taxonomic order
- Genus NilausBrubruThe Brubru is a member of the bushshrike family found in much of sub-Saharan Africa apart from the western rainforests and southern South Africa. It is the only member of the genus Nilaus.-Distribution and habitat:...
- Brubru- BrubruBrubruThe Brubru is a member of the bushshrike family found in much of sub-Saharan Africa apart from the western rainforests and southern South Africa. It is the only member of the genus Nilaus.-Distribution and habitat:...
, Nilaus afer
- Brubru
- Genus DryoscopusDryoscopusDryoscopus is a genus of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It contains the following species:* Pink-footed Puffback * Black-backed Puffback * Northern Puffback...
- puffbacks- Northern PuffbackNorthern PuffbackThe Northern Puffback is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,...
, Dryoscopus gambensis - Pringle's PuffbackPringle's PuffbackThe Pringle's Puffback is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.Its natural habitat is dry savanna.-References:...
, Dryoscopus pringlii - Black-backed PuffbackBlack-backed PuffbackThe Black-backed Puffback is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Its natural habitats are...
, Dryoscopus cubla - Red-eyed PuffbackRed-eyed PuffbackThe Red-eyed Puffback is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist...
, Dryoscopus senegalensis - Pink-footed PuffbackPink-footed PuffbackThe Pink-footed Puffback is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane...
, Dryoscopus angolensis - Large-billed PuffbackLarge-billed PuffbackSabine's Puffback , also known as the Large-billed Puffback, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia,...
, Dryoscopus sabini
- Northern Puffback
- Genus TchagraTchagraThe Tchagras are passerine birds in the bushshrike family, which are closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and were once included in that group...
- tchagras- Marsh TchagraMarsh TchagraThe Marsh Tchagra is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra...
, Tchagra minuta - Black-crowned TchagraBlack-crowned TchagraThe Black-crowned Tchagra is a bushshrike. This family of passerine birds is closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and was once included in that group....
, Tchagra senegala - Brown-crowned TchagraBrown-crowned TchagraThe Brown-crowned Tchagra is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique,...
, Tchagra australis - Three-streaked TchagraThree-streaked TchagraThe Three-streaked Tchagra is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland....
, Tchagra jamesi - Southern TchagraSouthern TchagraThe Southern Tchagra is a passerine bird found in dense scrub and coastal bush in southern and south-eastern South Africa and Swaziland....
, Tchagra tchagra
- Marsh Tchagra
- Genus LaniariusLaniariusLaniarius is a genus of brightly coloured, carnivorous passerine birds commonly known as boubous or gonoleks. Not to be confused with the similar-sounding genus Lanius, they were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but they and related genera are now considered...
- boubous and gonoleks (15-20 species) - Genus Rhodophoneus - Rosy-patched Bushshrike
- Rosy-patched BushshrikeRosy-patched BushshrikeThe Rosy-patched Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Rhodophoneus.It is found in Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Tanzania....
, Rhodophoneus cruentus
- Rosy-patched Bushshrike
- Genus TelophorusTelophorusTelophorus is a genus of bird in the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae.It contains the following species:* Bokmakierie, Telophorus zeylonus* Grey-green Bushshrike, Telophorus bocagei* Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Telophorus sulfureopectus...
- formerly in Malaconotus- BokmakierieBokmakierieThe Bokmakierie is a bushshrike. This family of passerine birds is closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and was once included in that group...
, Telophorus zeylonus - Grey-green BushshrikeGrey-green BushshrikeThe Bocage's Bushshrike , also known as the Grey-green Bushshrike, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda...
, Telophorus bocagei - Sulphur-breasted BushshrikeSulphur-breasted BushshrikeThe Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike or Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family....
, Telophorus sulfureopectus - Olive BushshrikeOlive BushshrikeThe Olive Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe....
, Telophorus olivaceus - Many-coloured BushshrikeMany-coloured BushshrikeThe Many-coloured Bushshrike is a species of bird in the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae.It is found in western and central Africa where it occurs in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana,...
, Telophorus multicolor - Black-fronted BushshrikeBlack-fronted BushshrikeThe Black-fronted Bushshrike is a passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. It inhabits forests in Southern and Eastern Africa. It forms a superspecies with the Many-coloured Bushshrike and the two are sometimes considered to be a single species.-Description:It is 18-19 centimetres...
, Telophorus nigrifrons - Mount Kupe Bushshrike, Telophorus kupeensis
- Four-coloured BushshrikeFour-coloured BushshrikeThe Four-coloured Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.-References:...
, Telophorus viridis - Doherty's BushshrikeDoherty's BushshrikeThe Doherty's Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda....
, Telophorus dohertyi
- Bokmakierie
- Genus MalaconotusMalaconotusMalaconotus is a genus of bird in the bush-shrike family Malaconotidae . About 60% of the species formerly placed here are now usually separated in Telophorus...
- Fiery-breasted Bush-shrikeFiery-breasted Bush-shrikeThe Fiery-breasted Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda.Its...
, Malaconotus cruentus - Lagden's Bush-shrikeLagden's Bush-shrikeLagden's Bush-shrike is a bird species in the bushshrike family .It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests...
, Malaconotus lagdeni - Green-breasted Bush-shrikeGreen-breasted Bush-shrikeThe Green-breasted Bush-shrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is found in Cameroon and Nigeria....
, Malaconotus gladiator - Grey-headed Bush-shrikeGrey-headed Bush-shrikeThe Grey-headed Bushshrike is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family.It is found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,...
, Malaconotus blanchoti - Monteiro's Bush-shrikeMonteiro's Bush-shrikeMonteiro's Bush-shrike is a species of bird in the bush-shrike family . It is found in Angola and Cameroon....
, Malaconotus monteiri - Uluguru Bush-shrike, Malaconotus alius
- Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike
External links
- Bushshrike videos on the Internet Bird Collection