Magpie Shrike

Magpie Shrike in Limpopo Rural, South Africa

The Magpie Shrike ( Urolestes melanoleucus, Syn Corvinella melanoleuca ) is a species of bird in the family of the Strangler ( Laniidae ). The Magpie Shrike is the only species of the monotypic genus so Urolestes.

Description

Magpie shrikes are large strangler, the body length is about 45 centimeters, of which account for about 30 cm on the very long, graduated tail. The plumage is rich in contrast black and white. In the male, head, back, wing-coverts, tail, and almost the entire hull bottom are black. The extended white scapulars, together with the grayish - white rump on top of a white " V". The wings are mostly black. The primaries show at the base of a large white spot, secondaries and shield feathers have white tips. The edges may have some white feathers. The beak and legs are black.

The subspecies vary mainly in the tail and wing length in the propagation of the white spot on the primaries, in the gray of the rump and the brown tone of the plumage. The nominate has the largest wing and tail length, aequatorialis the shortest tail with a deeper black on the throat and chest. The subspecies expressa is smaller, the white wing spot is smaller and the rump more gray than white. The subspecies is angolensis subspecies aequatorialis similar, the tail is shorter than the tail of the nominate form. The status of angolensis and expressa but needs further investigation.

Distribution and habitat

Its distribution extends from Angola through Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia to Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are mainly acacia savannah, open, dry forest and scrubland. Occasionally one finds the kind in deciduous and Mopanewäldern.

Way of life

Magpie shrikes feed mainly on arthropods, mainly insects. As a dietary belong next to millipedes, reptiles, mice and occasionally small fruits as well as fresh meat and carrion. Magpie Shrike usually live in small groups, within the group but broods apparently only a monogamous pair which defends a small territory around the nest. The nest consists of one to six, usually from three to five eggs. The nestlings are fed with insects, reptiles and rodents.

System

Depending on the source will two (. . U. and U. angolensis m m expressa be regarded as a synonym for the nominate form ) or recognized four subspecies:

• U. melanoleuca aequatorialis ( Reichenow, 1887) - Southern Kenya and Tanzania.
• U. angolensis melanoleuca ( Meise, 1958) - Angola and northeastern Namibia.
• U. melanoleuca melanoleuca ( Jardine, 1831) - Südsambia, Namibia, Westsimbabwe and north of South Africa.
• U. melanoleuca expressa ( Clancey, 1961) - Southern Malawi, northern Mozambique, east of South Africa.

Endangering

Information on the size of the world stock does not exist. The stock is obviously declining, but probably not very fast. Also, because of the well great world stock and the very large distribution area is classified as uncritical ( "Least Concern" ) the nature of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) therefore.