Tchagra senegalus
The Black-crowned Tchagra is a shy bird of the shrike-family that inhabits wetter savanna and woodland-type habitats and feeds mainly on insects and other small prey, which occasionally includes lizards, snakes and frogs. They are also quick to utilise well-planted parks and gardens.
Black-crowned Tchagras form monogamous, territorial pairs, nesting in cup-shaped constructions they build together in bushes and trees during an extended breeding season that spans most of spring, summer and autumn. The female takes most of the responsibility for incubating the clutch of 1-4 eggs over a two-week period, with the chicks fledging when only two weeks old but staying with their parents for quite some time after. Fully grown Black-crowned Tchagras weigh around 50g and measure about 21cm in length.
In South Africa, Black-crowned Tchagras are found from the Eastern Cape, through most of Kwazulu-Natal and into Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West. They’re also widely distributed over sub-Saharan Africa, with isolated populations along the Barbary Coast of North Africa and the southern reaches of the Arabian Peninsula. The IUCN lists the species as being of least concern.
You might enjoy this short video of a Black-crowned Tchagra singing its melodious song:
DeWetsWild 
Beautiful bird. Great shots, Dries. 😍
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Thanks a lot, Sylvia!
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You have some excellent pics here. I adore the black-crowned tchagra. It is a long time since I have seen one or heard their amazing and quite complicated calls. We used to hear them often when we lived the other side of town to where we live now.
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Thank you very much, Carol! I like them a lot too – they’re quite shy I find and any encounter decent enough for a picture or two is rather memorable.
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Well caught, sir!
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Thank you very much, Tish! They’re great fun to watch, if you’re lucky enough to find one that’s not too shy.
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A striking looking bird. Your photographs make me long to return to the KNP!
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You and me both, Anne!
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A subdued beauty, but a beauty nonetheless.
janet
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Most true beauties don’t know how beautiful they are.
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What a characterful (is that a word?) little bird, Dries. My BP was up and then I saw your post. Feeling much better now.
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That’s so kind of you to share, thank you Tracy!
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Interesting bird, great appetite. We have in USA the Loggerhead Shrike that resembles this one.
Nice post, D. 🙂
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Thanks, H.J. I’m going to go googling for the Loggerhead Shrike just now.
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cute little bird.
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Only of you are bigger than it, Lois! 😀
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Good-looking shrike.
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Agreed, thanks Hien!
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Is dar nie n Afrikaanse naam vir hom nie? Toe ek die tchagra sien klink dit bekend, lyk ook bekend.
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Sy Afrikaanse naam is “Swartkroontjagra”, Ineke
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