Magpie shrike

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Magpie shrike
Magpie Shrike in Limpopo Rural, South Africa

Magpie Shrike in Limpopo Rural , South Africa

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Corvoidea
Family : Shrike (Laniidae)
Genre : Urolestes
Type : Magpie shrike
Scientific name of the  genus
Urolestes
Cabanis , 1850
Scientific name of the  species
Urolestes melanoleucus
( Jardine , 1831)
Magpie Shrike in Kruger National Park , South Africa

The magpie shrike ( Urolestes melanoleucus , Syn .: Corvinella melanoleuca ) is a species of bird from the family of the shrike (Laniidae). The magpie shrike is the only species of the monotypical genus Urolestes .

description

Magpie shrike are large stranglers, the body length is about 45 centimeters, of which about 30 cm is accounted for by the very long, stepped tail. The plumage is contrasting black and white. In the male, the head, back, wing covers, tail and almost the entire underside of the trunk are black. The extensive white shoulder feathers together with the grayish-white rump on the top form a white “V”. The wings are mostly black. The wrist wings show a large white spot at the base, arm wings and umbrella feathers have white tips. The flanks may have some white feathers. The beak and legs are black.

The subspecies vary mainly in the length of the tail and wings, in the extent of the white spot on the wings of the hand, in the gray shade of the rump and the brown shade of the plumage. The nominate form has the greatest wing and tail length, the equatorialis the shortest tail with a deeper black on the throat and chest. The expressa subspecies is smaller, the white wing spot is smaller and the rump is more gray than white. The subspecies angolensis is similar to the subspecies aequatorialis , the tail is shorter than the tail of the nominate form. However, the status of angolensis and expressa requires further investigation.

distribution and habitat

Its distribution area extends from Angola through Botswana , Kenya , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Swaziland , Tanzania , Zambia to Zimbabwe . Its natural habitats are mainly the acacia savannah , open, dry forest and bushland. Occasionally the species is also found in deciduous and mopane forests .

Way of life

Magpie shrike feed primarily on arthropods , mainly insects . The diet also includes bipods , reptiles , mice and occasionally small fruits as well as fresh meat and carrion . Magpies usually live in small groups, but apparently only one monogamous pair breeds within the group , defending a small territory around the nest. The clutch consists of one to six, usually three to five eggs. The nestlings are fed insects, reptiles and rodents .

Systematics

Depending on the source, two ( U. m. Angolensis and U. m. Expressa are seen as synonymous with the nominate form ) or four subspecies are recognized:

Danger

There is no information on the size of the world population. The population is apparently declining, but probably not very quickly. Also because of the large world population and the very large distribution area, the species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as “Least Concern”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Tony Harris: Shrikes & Bush Shrikes: Including Wood-shrikes, Helmet-shrikes, Shrike Flycatchers, Philentomas, Batises and Wattle-eyes. A & C Black, 2000, ISBN 978-0713638615 , pp. 142-144.

Web links

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