Eurocephalus anguitimens
The Southern White-crowned Shrike is a bird that is endemic to southern Africa, ranging from Angola to Mozambique through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In our country it occurs marginally in the Northern Cape and widely in the North West, northern Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. According to the IUCN it is of least concern. These insectivorous birds live in savanna and open woodlands with a sparse ground cover.
Southern White-crowned Shrikes live in family groups consisting of a dominant pair and 1-6 helpers which assist in the breeding process by helping to build the nest – a neat cup constructed with fine plant material and spiderwebs in the fork of a tree – and looking after the chicks, of which 2-5 hatch after a 3 week incubation period. They breed during spring and summer with the chicks leaving the nest about 20 days after hatching. Outside of the breeding season they may form larger groups of up to 20.
Adults weigh about 70g and measure around 24cm in length.
de Wets Wild 
Such a pretty bird! The shrikes around here impale their prey on spikey shrubs and barbed wire fencing. I wonder if the shrikes there also have that behavior.
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While I’ve never seen this species exhibit that behaviour, Siobhan, there are several other kinds of shrike here that do.
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You have some lovely photos of this striking looking bird – not one I have seen that often, so I particularly enjoyed this post.
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Thank you, Carol! We don’t get to see them often enough either.
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So ‘n mooi ou wit koppie, ne! Ek wonder ook, soos Elsabe, hoe die nessies lyk … maar soos jy se, dalk steek hulle dit baie goed weg!
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Eendag is eendag dan gaan ons n nessie sien en dit hier kom wys!
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Such a joy to see other sentient beings!!
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And we’re surrounded by them if we just pay attention!
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💚
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So lig, né. Ek’s nuuskierig om ‘n nessie te sien. Ek is altyd amazed oor hoe hulle hul nessies bou.
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Hierdie soort het ek nog nooit by hul nes gesien nie – miskien steek hulle dit net so goed weg!
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Thank you for highlighting this attractive bird!
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Why I can’t say exactly, but seeing this species always gets me excited!
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Me too – possibly because they are very different from other shrikes.
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Small but with looks that are bigger than its size.
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It definitely has a confident pose, Janet
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Good looking bird is this White-crowned Shrike. I’ve never seen this bird before. Thank you, D. 🙂
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A bird that always gets me excited! Thanks, H.J.
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