Malaconotidae – Bushshrikes, Tchagras, Puffbacks & Boubous

The Malaconotidae (Bushshrikes, Tchagras, Puffbacks & Boubous) are medium sized passerines. 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, a name that alludes to their fluffy back and rump feathers.

Bushshrikes, Prionopidae (Helmetshrikes), Aegithinidae (Ioras), Vangidae (Vangas) and the Cracticidae (Australian Butcherbirds, Magpies and Currawongs) and Artamidae (Woodswallows) are part of a large group of shrike-like birds distributed from Africa to Australia, which have been defined as the superfamily Malaconotoidea. However, analysis of behavioural and molecular characteristics places Malaconotidae closer to Platysteiridae and Vangidae, suggesting that the birds of the family Laniidae are only distant relatives.

An intron-comparison study (2004) provided strong support for the monophyly of the Malaconotidae, but the relationships between the genera of the family remain unclear. The genus Nilaus is morphologically more similar to Prionopidae than the rest of the bushshrike family. This new placement is supported by DNA/DNA hybridization data as well as studies of hind limb musculature. The genus Dryoscopus consists of six small species with similar colouring, which may be closely related to birds of the genus Tchagra. The genus Malaconotus consists of six species which were traditionally believed to be closely related to Telophorus due to similar coloration, but new analyses suggest a close relationship between Malaconotus & Dryoscopus and Tchagra. Strong evidence exists for the monophyly of the genus Laniarius, and its closest relatives are the genera Telophorous and Rhodophoneus, but the exact relationships are unclear.

Braun’s Bushshrike Laniarius brauni

Gabela Bushshrike Laniarius amboimensis

Like their shrike-like relatives, the helmetshrikes, the bushshrikes have arisen in Africa in relatively recent times. The family is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa but completely absent from Madagascar, where the vangas are their closest relatives. They are found in scrub or open woodland, and less often in marshes, Afromontane or tropical forest. 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.

Monteiro’s Bushshrike Malaconotus monteiri

Fiery-breasted Bushshrike Malaconotus cruentus

They are mainly insectivorous forest or scrub birds. Up to four eggs are laid in a cup nest in a tree.  Their nests are generally small and neat, and they lay clutches of 2–3 eggs. Some bushshrikes have flamboyant displays. The male puffbacks puff out the loose feathers on their rump and lower back, to look almost ball-like.

They are small to medium-sized passerines, with short, rounded wings and strong legs and feet. Plumage is typically black, grey, and brown, with some yellow and green. Some bushshrikes have red undersides or red throat-patches.

Grey-headed Bushshrike Malaconotus blanchoti

Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus

They typically inhabit forest margins or patches of bush in savannah. Some species have been known to inhabit coffee plantations, or subsist in sacred groves where riparian vegetation is informally protected from shifting cultivation.

Laniarius funebris, the Slate-colored Boubou, mates in monogamous pairs. It has been suggested that songs of this species are triggered more by behavioural cues than by hormone levels.

Bushshrike diets consist mainly of large insects, but occasionally may include wild fruits and berries and sometimes small rodents. They catch their prey by gleaning among tree foliage. They also join mixed bird parties, loose foraging assemblages consisting mainly of passerine birds.

Sabine’s Puffback Dryoscopus sabini

Zanzibar Boubou Laniarius sublacteus

Most have distinctive harsh or guttural calls, which may be sung as duets. Male and female birds are able to learn songs of similar complexity, and both sexes have a similarly sized repertoire. Songs may be sung to indicate territory or as part of courtship. A study of the calls of Laniarius funebris (1992) found that a male’s likelihood of singing a mating song was correlated with his mate’s estradiol levels, rather than his own testosterone levels, suggesting that behavioural cues between a mating pair, rather than hormone levels, are more important in triggering mating songs.