Brubru

Overview

The brubru (Nilaus afer) is a species of bushshrike in the family Malaconotidae and the sole member of its genus. It is widely distributed across most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Identification

• A small passerine measuring 12–15 cm in length.
• The adult male has a black crown, white supercilium and forehead, and a black eyestripe, with a black back featuring a tawny strip.
• Wings are black with a buff shoulder stripe, and the tail is black with white tips and edges to the outer feathers.
• Underparts are white with rufous flanks, though females are duller and browner with some streaking.
• The song is a duet, with the male producing a soft prrrruuu call often answered by the female's eeeu.

Habitat

The species inhabits dry open woodland, varying geographically between acacia and broadleaved woodland in the north and Brachystegia miombo woodland in a belt from northeastern Angola and northern Namibia east to Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Diet

The brubru hunts insects in the canopy as a restless but unobtrusive arboreal species. When insect prey is scarcer outside the breeding season, it joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

Did you know?

Despite its small size, the brubru requires large trees for feeding, resulting in an unusually large territory of typically 35 hectares.