PLEASE! If you see any mistakes, I'm 100% sure that I have wrongly identified some birds.
So please let me know on my guestbook at the bottom of the page
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus

The crimson-breasted shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus) or the crimson-breasted gonolek, ('gonolek' - supposedly imitative of its call), is a southern African bird. It has black upper parts with a white flash on the wing, and bright scarlet underparts. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as a "least-concern species".

Distribution and habitat
The crimson-breasted shrike is non-migratory and occurs in a broad swathe from southern Angola to the Free State province in South Africa. Its preferred habitat is drier thornbush areas, in thickets and riparian scrub. It makes small seasonal migrations, preferring lower altitudes during cold periods

Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus

Range map from Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
www.oiseaux.net is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there


Taxonomy The species was first collected by William John Burchell in 1811 near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. He named it atrococcineus meaning 'black/red', finding the striking colour combination quite remarkable.

The generic name Laniarius was coined by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot and was meant to call attention to the butcher-like habits of the group. In South West Africa its colours reminded Germans of their homeland flag and it therefore became the Reichsvogel ("Empire bird").

The species is closely related to two other bushshrikes, the yellow-crowned gonolek (Laniarius barbarus) and the black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) of East Africa, but DNA research has shown that it does not form a superspecies with the yellow-crowned gonolek (L. barbarus), the black-headed gonolek (L. erythrogaster) and the papyrus gonolek (L. mufumbiri), as previously thought.

Description
The sexes have the same colouration and are indistinguishable from each other. The upper parts, including the wings and tail, are black, the wings having a broad white bar. The underparts are vivid scarlet. A yellow-breasted form is occasionally seen, and was at first thought to be a separate species. Young birds have a mottled and barred buff-brown appearance with a pale bill.

Listen to the Crimson-breasted shrike



www.xeno-canto.org


Behaviour
This shrike is extremely nimble and restless, its penetrating whistles often being the first sign of its presence, although it is not a shy species.

Conservation status
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2.
International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.birdforum.net


Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use) 20th of November 2014
Location: Kalahari, Botswana


Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus - 20 November 2014 - Kalahari, Botswana

Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus - 20 November 2014 - Kalahari, Botswana

Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus - 20 November 2014 - Kalahari, Botswana

Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus
Crimson-breasted shrike, Laniarius atrococcineus - 20 November 2014 - Kalahari, Botswana



PLEASE! If I have made any mistakes identifying any bird, PLEASE let me know on my guestbook



       
                  



                                       

You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005

Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011