Black cuckoo shrike

Introduction: Black cuckooshrikes (Campephaga flava) prefer broad-leaved and mixed woodlands, well-treed gardens, plantations and the edges of evergreen forest. Usually they are found singly or in pairs, often bursting into song.

Distribution: North-eastern Namibia. Observed in Rundu, Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) and Etosha National Park, Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve.

Diet: Gleans mainly insects, moths and ants from canopy leaves, twigs and bark from tree trunks, at times hovering to select prey from leaves.

Description: Small to medium-sized cuckooshrike with fairly long tails. Mainly glossy black plumage. Campephaga is Greek for 'caterpillar eating'. Flava is Latin for 'yellow' referring to the bright yellow patch on the carpal joint.

Breeding: Females lay 1 to 3 eggs in a shallow felted moss cup incubated for around 20 days.

Size: 20cm.

Weight: 32g.