Bushshrike

Bushshrikes
Black-headed Gonolek Laniarius erythrogaster
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Malaconotidae
Genera
Nilaus Dryoscopus Tchagra Laniarius Rhodophoneus Telophorus Malaconotus

The bushshrikes are smallish passerine bird species. They were formerly classed with the true shrikes 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 Nilaus - Brubru
  • Brubru, Nilaus afer
• Genus Dryoscopus - puffbacks
  • Northern Puffback, Dryoscopus gambensis
  • Pringle's Puffback, Dryoscopus pringlii
  • Black-backed Puffback, Dryoscopus cubla
  • Red-eyed Puffback, Dryoscopus senegalensis
  • Pink-footed Puffback, Dryoscopus angolensis
  • Large-billed Puffback, Dryoscopus sabini
• Genus Tchagra - tchagras
  • Marsh Tchagra, Tchagra minuta
  • Black-crowned Tchagra, Tchagra senegala
  • Brown-crowned Tchagra, Tchagra australis
  • Three-streaked Tchagra, Tchagra jamesi
  • Southern Tchagra, Tchagra tchagra
• Genus Laniarius - boubous and gonoleks (some 15 species, 1 possibly extinct)
• Genus Rhodophoneus - Rosy-patched Bushshrike
  • Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Rhodophoneus cruentus
• Genus Telophorus - formerly in Malaconotus
  • Bokmakierie, Telophorus zeylonus
  • Grey-green Bushshrike, Telophorus bocagei
  • Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, Telophorus sulfureopectus
  • Olive Bushshrike, Telophorus olivaceus
  • Many-coloured Bushshrike, Telophorus multicolor
  • Black-fronted Bushshrike, Telophorus nigrifrons
  • Mount Kupe Bushshrike, Telophorus kupeensis
  • Four-coloured Bushshrike, Telophorus viridis
  • Doherty's Bushshrike, Telophorus dohertyi
• Genus Malaconotus (6 species)

External links

• Bushshrike videos on the Internet Bird Collection