Brubru ( Nilaus afer, family: Malaconotidae)
The Brubru (Latin name Nilaus afer) is described in Roberts Birds of
Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of
741 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 688 also a
picture of the Brubru on page 721. The Brubru belongs to the family of
birds classified as Malaconotidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick
Institute of African Ornithology the Brubru is also known by these other
names: Brubru Shrike, Black-crowned Brubru.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Brubru is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Brubru in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Brubru : see above distribution map.
The Brubru.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Brubru is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Brubru is about 15 cms and its weight is about 24 gms
You will find that the male Brubru plumage and colours are different to that of the female Brubru
- Head is black.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is white.
- Back is black.
- Legs are grey.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Brubru feeds on wing mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Brubru is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Nilaus afer will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Brubru is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are grey in colour and number between 2
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Brubru are: woodlands
You will not see Brubru in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Bontroklaksman
German ... Brubru
Portuguese ... Brubru
French ... Brubru africain
Dutch ... Broebroe
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 741
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
