The Magpie Shrike or Long-tailed Shrike – Corvinella
melanoleuca – was Zulu King Shaka’s favourite bird. The Zulu names for the
bird are isakabutle meaning “the scatterer of enemies” or ujomelameaning “King of Kings”.
The feathers of
the Magpie Shrike were worn in the headdress and armbands of the fiercest Zulu
warrior’s.
Magpie Shrike
The Magpie
Shrike - Corvinella melanoleuca -
is found in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, and subtropical or
tropical dry shrubland. It favours open savanna woodland with short grass
clumps and bare ground, also occurring in broad-leaved woodland and disturbed
areas with Acacia tree stands, such as in suburban gardens and town
parks.
Description
The adult male
has black and white plumage with very long, graduated tail. Head and mantle are
glossy black. The scapulars are white. The rump is V-shaped and greyish-white,
conspicuous in flight. On the black upperwing, tertials, secondaries, some
primaries and the greater upperwing-coverts are black with white tips. In
flight, the white patch near the primary bases is well visible. The long tail
is black. The bill, legs and feet are black, the eyes are brown. The female is
very similar, but she has white patches on flanks. The immature is browner and
duller, with rather buffy-white areas than pure white. The underparts are dark
brown with white-tipped feathers.
Call
It utters loud,
melancholy whistles “kee-oo, kee-oo” as territorial calls. The alarm call is a
scolding “chack” or “tchzzrrr”. A breeding pair often calls in duet, “teeloo”
by the male, and a higher-pitched “tleeu” by the female.
Food
It mainly eats
insects, spiders, ticks and small reptiles. It often perches in a prominent
position, searching for a food item. Once it spots something it dives to the
ground and catches it. It also gleans prey from leaves and branches, and
sometimes searches for them at ground level.
Breeding
A cooperative
breeder. The nest is constructed by both sexes and consists of an untidy cup
made of twigs, grass stems and roots, typically placed in the upper branches of
an Acacia tree. The breeding season peaks from October to January with the
female laying 2 to 6 eggs. They are incubated solely by the female for about 16
days, the male and group members providing her with food. The chicks are cared
for both parents and group members, leaving the nest after about 15 to 19 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
This species is
not threatened. It has an extremely large range and hence does not approach the
thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. The global population
size has not been quantified, but the species is described as uncommon to
locally common.
Birdwatching
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