Bushshrikes | Malaconotidae

Tsjagra's en bosklauwieren | Chagras y bubús

Shrike-like songbirds of scrub and thorn, with a heavy hook-tipped bill and strong legs used to pin down large insects, lizards and nestlings. Unlike the true shrikes they rarely take an open perch; they shuffle through the densest part of the bush and are far more often heard than seen. Sound is the family's mark: clear whistled phrases that male and female interlock as a duet, timed so tightly that it sounds like one bird — a way of holding a territory and a pair bond from inside cover. Many species wear a black cap or a black mask over a plain back; the flight is short and heavy, from bush to bush.