Bush shrike

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Bush shrike
Gray-headed Shrike (Malaconotus blanchoti)

Gray-headed Shrike ( Malaconotus blanchoti )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Corvoidea
Family : Bush shrike
Scientific name
Malaconotidae
Swainson , 1824

The bush shrike (Malaconotidae) are a bird family from the order of the passerine birds (Passeriformes). In the past, the bush shrike genera were considered to be the common shrike (Laniidae) or corvidae (Corvidae), but today they are considered different enough to form the Malaconotidae family . With the exception of the Sahara, the bush shrike are found in almost all of Africa, also in western Yemen, in the border area between Yemen and Oman and in the south-west of Saudi Arabia.

features

Bush shrike are small to medium-sized birds with blackish, white, gray, or brown plumage, and in some species with showy green, yellow, red, or orange tints on the throat, chest, or belly. In some species the males are more colorful than the females. The trunk is cylindrical to oval, the neck thick and the head relatively large. The beak is of medium length and strong. The upper beak has a hook bent downwards at the tip. The wings are short and rounded, the tail medium to long and rounded. The legs are of medium length and the feet are relatively small.

Habitat and way of life

Bush shrike occur in different habitats, from open acacia- lined savannah to dense rainforest. Zones of dense vegetation that are needed for cover are important. They hunt insects in the air, from a hide, or on the ground or in dense vegetation. Larger species also prey on lizards, frogs and small mammals.

Little is known about the breeding biology of the bush shrike. They are likely to be monogamous , have large breeding areas, and both parents care for clutches and young birds. The nests, made of twigs and grass and often camouflaged with lichen, are cup to saucer-shaped. The clutch consists of one to five, in most cases two or three eggs. The incubation period and the nestling period are unknown.

Genera and species

Marshagra , Bocagia minuta
Male of the snowball shrike , Dryoscopus cubla
Flute shrike , Laniarius ferrugineus
Senegaltschagra , Tchagra senegalus

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d David W. Winkler, Shawn M. Billerman, Irby J. Lovette: Bird Families of the World - An Invitation to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. Lynx Edicions and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2015, ISBN 978-84-941892-0-3 . Page 372 a. 373.