Campephaga
Purple-Throated Cuckooshrike by Nigel Voaden, CC BY-SA 2.0
Etymology: Feeds on Caterpillars
First Described By: Vieillot, 1816
Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Corvides, Campephagidae
Referred Species: C. flava (Black Cuckooshrike), C. petiti (Petit’s Cuckooshrike), C. phoenicea (Red-Shouldered Cuckooshrike), C. quiscalina (Purple-Throated Cuckooshrike)
Status: Extant, Least Concern
Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary
Campephaga is known from a variety of locations in sub-Saharan Africa
Physical Description: Campephaga is a genus of Cuckooshrikes, a group of small songbirds that specialize in feeding on caterpillars. This particular genus of Cuckooshrike ranges from 19 to 22 centimeters in length, with most species in the genus being exactly 20 centimeters long, about the same length as a Cardinal or similar passerine. They have very ovular bodies, with relatively short tails, and triangular beaks. The males of this genus are black throughout their bodies, wings, and tails; and usually sport a little yellow on the backs of their beaks, and one species having a pop of red or yellow color on the wing. The females are usually brown to yellow, with two species being extremely bright yellow and olive throughout the body. They have stripes across their faces as well, though it’s less noticeable in the males. The juveniles are usually similar to the females, but more dull in color.
Female Black Cuckooshrike by Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0
Diet: These birds primarily feed on caterpillars, as their name would suggest; but they also eat other insects such as bugs, wasps, grasshophpers, locusts, termites, and even spiders.
Behavior: These birds flit around in the tree canopy and along the canopy’s edge, as well as in the undergrowth and bushes. They forage quietly, flying low between branches looking for their preferred food sources, and usually do not form large groups to do so. They’ll even forage along the ground. Usually they are solitary or in pairs; though occasionally some species will join mixed-species flocks to forage.
While they do make a variety of chirping songs and calls, this genus is mostly silent; using song only in moments of fright or flock calling rather than consistently throughout the day as other songbirds do. They also are known to whistle, though again, not particularly often compared to other songbirds.
Only a few of these birds are known to migrate, mainly due to rain patterns - the Red-Shouldered Cuckooshrike will migrate across its range due to the rain before returning to the forest’s edge. The Black Cuckooshrike will sometimes migrate as well, moving from higher to lower altitudes depending on the breeding season.
Female Petit’s Cuckooshrike by Dick Daniels, CC BY-SA 3.0
They mainly breed during the rainy season, primarily between December to May or from October to January depending on where exactly they live. These are primarily monogamous and, furthermore, territorial birds; defending their nesting and feeding range fairly fiercely. The females will build the nests out of lichens, moss, and spider webs, secured to branches a fair height off of the ground. They tend to have fairly small clutch sizes, up to three, and the eggs are mainly incubated by the females. The males will help defend the area, and both parents will feed the chicks upon hatching.
Ecosystem: These birds live in woodland and dry forest habitat, as well as on the edges of evergreen forests and more moist forest habitats. They are usually found in higher elevation, though they can be found at sea level, and some species are associated with woodland patches and forest edges rather than the full forest environment. Habitat preference varies based on species and subspecies local populations.
Red-Shouldered Cuckooshrike by Lizards, in the Public Domain
Other: All of these birds are extremely widespread and common in their habitats; though some are less well known than others, no population appears to be particularly threatened, though forest destruction has hurt some groups.
Species Differences: These species primarily differ based on coloration in the female. The Black Cuckooshrike has very darkly colored females, with black stripes across their bellies. Petit’s Cuckooshrike has bright yellow females, with dull colored heads. The Red-Shouldered Cuckooshrike female has yellow patches on their stomach, and the males have red or yellow shoulder patches. Finally, the Pruple-Throated Cuckooshrike has bright yellow females, with slightly grey heads.
~ By Meig Dickson
Sources under the cut
