Four-colored Bushshrike
Telophorus viridis
Beautiful bird with an olive back, red throat, and black chest band. Varies geographically: has a yellow belly in the east and an olive-green one in the west. The male has a broader chest band than the female. Found in forest undergrowth, thickets, and thick woodland. Skulking bird that is most often located by voice: a perky “du-do-whit.” Range does not overlap with the similar Doherty’s Bushshrike.
Taxonomy
Most authorities consider Telophorus viridis to comprise four subspecies: T. v. viridis, T. v. nigricauda, T. v. quartus and T. v. quadricolor. Others split the taxon into two species: T. viridis and T. quadricolor.
- Scientific name
- Telophorus viridis
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
- Genus
- Telophorus
Range and habitat
Found in Angola, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Zambia (T. v. viridis), coastal Kenya and Tanzania (T. v. nigricauda), Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (T. v. quartus) and South Africa and Eswatini (T. v. quadricolor).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Gorgeous bush-shrikes are seldom seen despite being a commonly occurring species, as they mostly dwell in densely vegetated woodlands. They are primarily insectivorous, gleaning insects from the understory growth they inhabit.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Fairly common in the Andes of central Chile and adjacent Argentina; seen readily at ski resorts, around villages, on bogs, and on stony and grassy slopes. Often in flocks, associates readily with other seed-eating birds. Feeds mainly on the ground, but sings from prominent perches such as a rock or building. Not appreciably larger than other yellow-finches, but no similar species in most of range. May overlap in winter locally with Greenish Yellow-Finch, which has shorter wings and a shorter bill, and male never is as bright golden as the Greater Yellow-Finch.
Spotted Quail-thrush
Cinclosoma punctatum
Heavily patterned terrestrial bird of eastern Australia. Both sexes have black spots on flanks, gray breast and head, long pale eyebrow. Male has black throat and white neck patch bordered in bllack, female a pale buff-colored throat. Wanders around on rocky hillsides and ridges with open forest and plenty of leaf litter and rocks. Fairly unobtrusive, but sometimes sings from a low perch. Calls include a long, very high-pitched "seeeeeep” and a long sequence of doubled whistles.
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