Nicatoridae – Nicators

The Nicatoridae family consists of three species in one genus of passerines endemic to Africa. The name of the genus is derived from ‘nikator’, Greek for conqueror. Within the genus, the western and eastern nicators are considered to form a superspecies and are sometimes treated as the same species.

The systematic affinities of the genus have been a long-standing mystery. The group was originally assigned to the Laniidae (shrikes). In the 1920s James Chapin noted the similarities between the nicators and both the Pycnonotidae (bulbuls) and the Malaconotidae (bushshrikes). It wasn’t until 1943 that Jean Théodore Delacour placed the genus firmly with the bulbuls. Storrs Olson argued that the genus was more closely related to the Malaconotidae, as the nicators lacked the ossification of the nostril found in all other bulbuls. A number of features, including the position of the facial bristles (which are preorbital rather than rictal), their nests and the calls, make the genus unique, and DNA studies have recently suggested that the genus is best treated as a monogeneric family. Now, most authorities, like the Clements Checklist and the amalgamated AviList, treat the nicators as a new family, Nicatoridae.

Western Nicator Nicator chloris – ©Charles J Sharp via Wikimedia Commons

The nicators are shrike-like birds, 16 to 23 cm in length. The Eastern and Western Nicators are similar in size and larger than the Yellow-throated Nicator. The males are considerably heavier than the females, for example in the Western Nicator the males range from 48g to 67g, whereas the females only weigh 32g to 51g. The Yellow-throated Nicator is much lighter, ranging only 21g to 26g. They all have heavy hooked bills. The plumage of the genus is overall olive on the backs, tail and wings, with yellow spotting on the wings, and lighter grey or whitish undersides.

Eastern Nicator Nicator gularis – ©HughChittenden

They are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. The Western Nicator has a mostly continuous distribution from Senegal to eastern Uganda and northern Angola. The Eastern Nicator has a discontinuous distribution in East Africa from Somalia south to eastern South Africa. The Yellow-throated Nicator is distributed in central Africa from Cameroon to Uganda.

They occupy a wide range of forest and woodland habitats. The Western & Eastern Nicators inhabit subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical swamps, preferring well-established secondary growth forest from 2,300 to 6,000 feet. The Yellow-throated Nicator’s natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.