Brubru

Introduction: Brubrus (Nilaus afer) can be observed in a number of habitats including arid savannah, tall acacia savannah and tall mopane. They are regarded as a shy and unobtrusive bird that spends most of its time foraging in the tree canopy, moving quickly from tree to tree.

Distribution: Widespread in most of Namibia less for southern Namib Desert. Common in Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip), Epupa Falls, Rundu, Etosha National Park, Windhoek, Kalahari Desert and Orange River.

Diet: Forages in insect-rich flowering trees. Prey often gleaned from twigs and leaves, hanging tit-like to probe leaves. Eats mainly spiders and other insects.

Description: Small tree-liver with a short tail and long, soft and fluffy tail feathers. Characteristic high-pitched voice, a fast trill, which is attributed to their pair bonding. Pair members duet in song. Nilaus is an anagram of Lanius, the genus of true shrikes. Resembles the smaller batises who have yellow or orange (not dark) eyes. The black-backed puffback is larger with whiter underparts.

Breeding: Both male and female build a shallow cup made of plant material bound together with spider web. Females usually lay 2 eggs year-round depending on the rainfall.

Size: 15cm.

Weight: 24g.