White-breasted Cuckooshrike
Ceblepyris pectoralis
Large, chunky, gray cuckooshrike with white underparts. There is a pale ring around the dark eye, giving the face a gentle appearance. Males are gray on the throat and breast, while females are white. Found in thick woodland, including miombo, often along rivers. Quiet and unobtrusive bird that is easily missed as it moves slowly through the midstory. Call is a quiet, high-pitched, descending “seeeeuup.” Similar to Gray Cuckooshrike, but has much paler underparts, and found in woodland rather than forest.
Identification
The white-breasted cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris pectoralis) is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and dry savanna. The species forages at mid-canopy level and is typically found alone or in pairs. It is insectivorous, feeding primarily on insects and caterpillars.
Taxonomy
Genus: Ceblepyris; Family: Campephagidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Ceblepyris pectoralis
- Authority
- (Jardine & Selby, 1828)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Campephagidae
- Genus
- Ceblepyris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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