Mackinnon's shrike

Description

Mackinnon's shrike grows to a length of about 20 cm. The adult male has a greyish-black head and mantle, a white supercilium, white scapulars and black wings. The tail is black with white margins and the underparts are white, sometimes tinged with buff. The female is similar except for having rufous patches on the flanks. The juvenile is greyish-brown and heavily barred.

Distribution and habitat

Mackinnon's fiscal is found in tropical humid parts of Central Africa. It has a disjunct range (from the Obudu Plateau to northern Angola on one hand and across northern Congo, the Ruwenzori and Lake Victoria regions on the other). It is found in forest edges, clearings, secondary growth and bushy areas, from sea level up to about 2200 m.

Status

Mackinnon's fiscal has a very wide range and has been described as locally common, although rather more scarce in the eastern end of its range. Its population trend may be upward because it is thought to have benefited from deforestation as it thrives in secondary growth and is often to be found in farmland, villages and gardens. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

References

References

1. BirdLife International. (2016). "''Lanius mackinnoni''".
2. Beolens, Bo. (2003). "Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds". Christopher Helm.
3. (2013). "Shrikes". A&C Black.