Grey cuckooshrike

Last updated

Grey cuckooshrike
Greycuckooshrike.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Campephagidae
Genus: Ceblepyris
Species:
C. caesius
Binomial name
Ceblepyris caesius

The grey cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris caesius) is a species of bird in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. It is a medium-sized forest bird, with grey to blue-grey plumage and large black eyes. There are two subspecies that occur in forest patches of southern and central Africa respectively.

Contents

Taxonomy

The grey cuckooshrike belongs to the family Campephagidae of the old world songbirds. [2] There are almost 90 species within Campephagidae that occur in Africa, Asia and Australasia. Ceblepyris caesia is often considered to be part of a superspecies with the white-breasted cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris pectoralis); which looks somewhat similar apart from the striking white underparts compared to C. caesia's grey underparts. [3] The grey cuckooshrike is also found at higher elevation than its white-breasted counterpart. [3] A 2010 genetic analysis confirmed the two species as each other's closest relatives, with their common ancestor diverging from the ancestor of Grauer's cuckooshrike. [4]

"Grey cuckooshrike" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). [5] The species is also commonly referred to as the mountain grey cuckooshrike and the African grey cuckooshrike. [6] South African names include usinga in Pirie Forest, umsimpofu in Elliotdale and around the mouth of the Mthatha River, and umswinkobe in eastern Pondoland. [7]

Subspecies

There are two subspecies of C. caesius that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. The only known variation between these subspecies is their size. [8] C. c. caesius was first described in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, in 1823 by M. H. C. Lichtenstein and occurs in patches of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. [8] [9] C. c. pura described in 1891 occurs in south-eastern parts of Nigeria, western parts of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, eastern parts of South Sudan, north-eastern parts of DRC, Malawi and north-western parts of Mozambique. [9]

Description

The grey cuckooshrike is a medium-sized bird; with a body length of 25–27 cm (10–10.5 in) and weighing between 53–68 g (1.9–2.4 oz). [10] These birds exhibit sexual dimorphism. [11] They both have a blue-grey head and body, with a large jet-black eye with a thin white eye-ring. [6] Their bill and legs are black, and the males have a dark grey loreal patch, while females have grey loreal patches [10] and are a slightly lighter shade of grey. [3] The juveniles are a dark brown with grey-white barring above, white underparts with brown barring, and have black tails with white edges on the tips as well as on their flight feathers. [10] [8]

Habitat and movements

The preferred habitat of the grey cuckooshrike is Afromontane forests, lowland forests, coastal forests and dense woodland areas near rivers. [11] They have also been observed foraging in pine and wattle plantations and trees in the trees of small towns in winter. [8] They usually occur at elevations above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in West Africa and 1,500–3,000 metres (4,900–9,800 ft) in Central and East Africa, but also frequent coastal areas below 900 metres (3,000 ft) in East Africa. [3] In Zimbabwe and South Africa they are found at 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or lower elevations. [3]

They are largely resident species but do undertake post-breeding movementsa during the dry season. [11] In the Cameroon, migration to lower elevations has been recorded after the breeding season. [3] In South Africa, the birds migrate from forests in the Northern highveld to forests in the lowveld. [3] They are frequent visitors to eastern and Western Cape coastal areas in the winter. [8]

Behaviour and ecology

Feeding

The grey cuckooshrike is insectivorous; feeding mostly on crickets, caterpillars and locusts. Spiders, winged termites and beetles also form a part of their diet. [3] They forage in the upper forest canopy, looking for insects in the foliage and on tree trunks. They hop on branches and examine the underside of the leaves above for insects, when they see one they snatch the prey and return to their perch before eating it. [8] [11]

Breeding

In Southern Africa, breeding occurs in the summer months between October and January, [10] and nest building has been recorded as early as September in the most southern parts of South Africa. [3] The central African subspecies breeds during the rainy season, but avoids the wettest periods. [9]

Breeding periods of grey cuckooshrike in various African countries
CountryBreeding months
CameroonNov
DRCJan–Jun and Aug
EthiopiaFeb–Mar
KenyaJan–Mar; Aug, Oct and Dec
MalawiSept
SudanAug and Dec
TanzaniaJan–Mar; Aug, Oct and Dec
UgandaJan–Mar; Aug, Oct and Dec

Their nests are a shallow bowl shape and constructed by both sexes from Usnea lichen and spider webs, perched 17 to 20 meters up in trees on the forest edge. [8] The clutch size is one or two eggs which are an oval shape and pale bluish-green with olive and brown spots. [8] The chicks are black with grey down when they hatch, and remain in the nest until the following breeding season. [8] Both the male and female incubate the eggs, but little else is known about the incubation or fledging periods. [3] They are monogamous breeders and will stay in that pair until one dies; and the surviving individual will seek a new mate. [6]

Social behaviour and calls

The grey cuckooshrike is somewhat inconspicuous, making observations about its behaviour challenging. They are usually observed alone or in pairs and less frequently in small groups of up to 7 individuals. [8] During the non-breeding season they have been seen foraging in mixed species flocks. [8] Their flight is described as "slow and level with heavy wing beats". [8]

These are relatively quiet birds, their call is described as a faint, high-pitched "tseeeeep" [10] while foraging and a "seeeeea" [9] call at their nests. [3] Other calls include a weaver-like chatter and sneeze-like "chi-ooo" sounds. [3] [8]

Relationship with humans

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list has rated the grey cuckooshrike as least concern, indicating it is not threatened. Population size is unknown but is thought to be decreasing due to deforestation. [1] Population density in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa was calculated to be around six individuals per 4.5 hectares (11 acres). [8] They are not considered to be common or easily spotted, this is partly due to them living in the forest canopy and partly due to their inconspicuous nature. They are tolerant of humans, and have been spotted in trees of urban areas and residential gardens. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian nuthatch</span> Small passerine bird found in temperate Eurasia

The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckooshrike</span> Family of birds

The cuckooshrikes and allies in the family Campephagidae are small to medium-sized passerine bird species found in the subtropical and tropical Africa, Asia and Australasia. The 93 species are divided into 11 genera. The woodshrikes (Tephrodornis) were often considered to be in this family but are now placed in their own family, Vangidae, along with the philentomas and the flycatcher-shrikes. Another genus, Chlamydochaera, which has one species, the black-breasted fruithunter, was often placed in this family but has now been shown to be a thrush (Turdidae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronze mannikin</span> Species of bird

The bronze mannikin or bronze munia is a small passerine bird of the Afrotropics. This very social estrildid finch is an uncommon to locally abundant bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, where it is resident, nomadic or irruptive in mesic savanna or forest margin habitats. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 8,100,000 km2. It is the smallest and most widespread of four munia species on the African mainland, the other being black-and-white, red-backed and magpie mannikin. It co-occurs with the Madagascar mannikin on the Comoro Islands, and was introduced to Puerto Rico. Especially in the West Africa, it is considered a pest in grain and rice fields. It is locally trapped for the pet bird trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated mountaingem</span> Species of hummingbird

The blue-throated mountaingem, also known as the blue-throated mountain-gem or blue-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger shrike</span> Species of bird

The tiger shrike or thick-billed shrike is a small passerine bird which belongs to the genus Lanius in the shrike family, Laniidae. It is found in wooded habitats across eastern Asia. It is a shy, often solitary bird which is less conspicuous than most other shrikes. Like other shrikes it is predatory, feeding on small animals. Its nest is built in a tree and three to six eggs are laid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape sparrow</span> A small passerine bird from southern Africa

The Cape sparrow, or mossie, is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae found in southern Africa. A medium-sized sparrow at 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in), it has distinctive plumage, including large pale head stripes in both sexes. Its plumage is mostly grey, brown, and chestnut, and the male has some bold black and white markings on its head and neck. The species inhabits semi-arid savannah, cultivated areas, and towns, and ranges from the central coast of Angola to eastern South Africa and Eswatini. Three subspecies are distinguished in different parts of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted plover</span> Species of shorebird of the family Charadriidae from Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar

The white-fronted plover or white-fronted sandplover is a small shorebird of the family Charadriidae that inhabits sandy beaches, dunes, mudflats and the shores of rivers and lakes in sub-saharan Africa and Madagascar. It nests in small shallow scrapes in the ground and lays clutches of one to three eggs. The species is monogamous and long-lived, with a life expectancy of approximately 11 years. The vast majority of pairs that mate together stay together during the following years of breeding and retain the same territory. The white-fronted plover has a similar appearance to the Kentish plover, with a white fore crown and dark bands connecting the eyes to the bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African firefinch</span> Species of bird

The African firefinch, also called the dark firefinch or blue-billed firefinch due to the color of its bill, is a common species of estrildid finch found in almost all parts of Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar-throated apalis</span> Species of bird

The bar-throated apalis is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis of the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the eastern and southern Afrotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barratt's warbler</span> Species of bird

The Barratt's warbler or African scrub warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found in eastern South Africa, Lesotho, eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent western Mozambique. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-crowned sparrow-lark</span> Species of bird

The black-crowned sparrow-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found across northern Africa from Mauritania through the Middle East to north-western India. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground cuckooshrike</span> Species of bird

The ground cuckoo-shrike is an uncommon bird species endemic to Australia, occurring mainly in open woodland and arid grasslands throughout inland Australia, but also occasionally in areas on the east coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied cuckooshrike</span> Species of bird in the family Campephagidae

The white-bellied cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar-bellied cuckooshrike</span> Species of bird

The bar-bellied cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and its natural habitats include mangrove forest, dry forest, swamp forest, and secondary forest. The plumage varies among the subspecies, with different amounts of barring on the underparts. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the species as one of least-concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed bushshrike</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed bushshrike, colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa and the interior of southern Africa. It is the most widespread species of its genus, which consists of large bushshrikes with massive bills and mournful hooting calls. It occurs sparsely in a range of wooded habitats, though typically in denser vegetation within dry or moist savannah. The monogamous pairs occupy woodland with sufficient cover. They are sedentary, but will undertake limited post-breeding movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery minivet</span> Species of bird

The fiery minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. Its range includes Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are broadleaf, secondary and coastal forests. It is threatened by forest clearance and has been assessed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-chinned minivet</span> Species of bird

The grey-chinned minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found from the Himalayas to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is forests about 1,000–2,000 m (3,300–6,600 ft) in elevation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

The rufous-bellied helmetshrike or Gabon helmetshrike is a passerine bird belonging to the Vanga family, Vangidae. It inhabits tropical forest in Central Africa. It is sometimes included within the chestnut-bellied helmetshrike of West Africa.

<i>Lalage</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Lalage is a genus of passerine birds belonging to the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae, many of which are commonly known as trillers. There are about 18 species which occur in southern Asia and Australasia with a number of species on Pacific islands. They feed mainly on insects and fruit. They build a neat cup-shaped nest high in a tree.

<i>Ceblepyris</i> Genus of birds

Ceblepyris is a genus of African passerine birds in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Ceblepyris caesius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22706543A130420225. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22706543A130420225.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. "Cuckoo-shrike | bird". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Handbook of the birds of the world . Hoyo, Josep del., Elliott, Andrew., Sargatal, Jordi., Cabot, José. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. 2013 [1992]. ISBN   978-8487334108. OCLC   861071869.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Jønsson, Knud A.; Bowie, Rauri C. K.; Nylander, Johan A. A.; Christidis, Les; Norman, Janette A.; Fjeldså, Jon (2010). "Biogeographical history of cuckoo-shrikes (Aves: Passeriformes): transoceanic colonization of Africa from Australo-Papua". Journal of Biogeography. 37 (9): 1767–1781. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02328.x.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2017). "Bristlehead, butcherbirds, woodswallows, ioras, cuckooshrikes". World Bird List Version 8.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Grey Cuckooshrike ( Coracina caesia fam. Campephagidae) Kruger Park Birds & Birding". www.thekruger.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  7. Godfrey, Robert (1941). Bird-lore of the Eastern Cape Province (PDF). Witwatersrand University Press. p. 74.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Roberts, Austin (2005). Robertsʼ birds of southern Africa. Hockey, P. A. R., Dean, W. Richard J. (William Richard John), 1940-, Ryan, Peter, 1962- (7th ed.). Cape Town: Trustees of the J. Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN   0620340533. OCLC   65978899.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Grey Cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris caesius)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Ian, Sinclair (October 2011). Birds of Southern Africa : the region's most comprehensively illustrated guide. Arlott, Norman., Hockey, Phil., Tarboton, Warwick., Ryan, Peter., Hayman, Peter. (Fourth fully revised and updated ed.). Cape Town. ISBN   9781770079250. OCLC   762342697.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Coracina caesia (Grey Cuckooshrike)". www.biodiversityexplorer.org. Retrieved 5 August 2018.