Ethiopian boubou, Laniarius (aethiopicus) aethiopicus, also known as the boubou shrike, tropical boubou or the bell shrike, photographed at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa.
Image: Dan Logen, 10 February 2011 [velociraptorize].
Nikon D300, 600 mm lens, ISO 800, f/13, 1/500 sec
Question: This lovely Ethiopian mystery bird engages in a reproductive behaviour that most people find charming but unexpected. Can you name this behaviour and this bird's taxonomic family? How about species?
Response: This is an adult Ethiopian boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, a member of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. Lanarius are carnivorous songbirds commonly known as boubous or gonoleks. They were formerly included with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but Lanarius and related genera were separated into the bush-shrike family.
The Ethiopian boubou was formerly classified into a species complex as a subspecies along with five other birds that look very similar, but most of which are apparently are not that closely related. These birds were all known as tropical boubous. The Ethiopian boubou was recently split from these five taxa into its own species (it's likely that at least two more of its sister subspecies will soon be elevated to full species status based on DNA work).
The Ethiopian boubou's other common name, the bell shrike, is in honour of its courtship song, a duet that both the male and female sing. This song has a clear bell-like call, consisting of a male and female singing alternate notes, producing a song that sounds like the creation of one bird.
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