Tchagra australis
An adaptable member of the shrike family, the Brown-crowned Tchagra occurs in a wide range of savanna and woodland associations where it forages mainly low to the ground in the undergrowth. It feeds primarily on insects and other invertebrates and only very occasionally on small reptiles.
Brown-crowned Tchagras form monogamous pairs with the male being fiercely protective of their territory. The female takes most of the responsibility for the incubation of the clutch of 2-4 eggs over a 2 week period in the spring-summer nesting season. The chicks leave the nest around two weeks after hatching but stay with the parents for 5 months or more. Healthy adults weigh approximately 33g.
The Brown-crowned Tchagra is widely distributed over much of sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa this species is found in all our provinces with the exclusion of the Eastern and Western Cape. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern.
de Wets Wild 
You have some beautiful photos here of a lovely bird – I imagine they are not the easiest to photograph?
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Thank you very much, Carol. They’re very sly and intelligent, and yes, not easy to frame!
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So gorgeous, Dries. He looks quite wily, and very alert. 😍
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You are an excellent judge of avian character, Sylvia!
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😀
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Beautiful virtual tour! Bye. Kamila
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Thank you kindly, Kamila
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WELL spotted to snap that header picture! I enjoy ‘birds in action’ pictures even though I am usually too slow to get them myself!
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Thank you very much, Anne! I can’t take any credit though, I also only saw the spider fighting back later when I looked back through the photos.
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I love it when that happens!
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I do too – a great incentive to have a look through some old photos from time to time, just in case you notice something new,
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Good looking bird, nice colors too. It’s the fist time I see this bird. Good post, D. Thank you. 🙂
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Then I’m very pleased that we could introduce you, H.J!
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This bird has such an intelligent look about it.
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And in this case the look is certainly not deceiving, Anne.
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They camouflage quite well, don’t they?
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They do, Lois! Finding one that’s decided to hide in a bush is real tricky.
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Such pretty markings!
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Like warpaint!
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An attractive bird. Are they loud?
janet
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They are quite the vocalists, Janet. Sometimes they utter the most awful screeches, but mostly they’re quite melodious. Have a listen to some of the recordings here: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Tchagra-australis
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