Scientific name Laniarius Higher classification Bushshrike Order Passerine | Family Malaconotidae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Crimson‑breasted shrike, Yellow‑crowned gonolek, Tropical boubou, Southern boubou, Black‑headed gonolek | ||
Goudkapfiskaal laniarius barbarus
Laniarius is a genus of brightly coloured, carnivorous passerine birds commonly known as boubous or gonoleks. Not to be confused with the similar-sounding genus Lanius, they were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but they and related genera are now considered sufficiently distinctive to be separated from that group as the bush-shrike family Malaconotidae.
Contents
- Goudkapfiskaal laniarius barbarus
- Southern boubous laniarius ferrugineus
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Extant species
- Former species
- References
This is an African group of species which are found in scrub or open woodland. They are similar in habits to shrikes, hunting insects and other small prey from a perch on a bush. Although similar in build to the shrikes, these tend to be either colourful species or largely black. Some species are also quite secretive.
Southern boubous laniarius ferrugineus
Taxonomy and systematics
The closest relatives of the genus appear to be the genus Chlorophoneus. Previously, members of the genus Laniarius had been classified on the basis of plumage. However, a 2008 molecular study found that the species had developed different colours and patterns in plumage independently and similar-coloured species were often unrelated. The authors hypothesized that the ancestor of the genus may have been dark-coloured.
Extant species
There are twenty-one species recognized:
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Laniarius:
