The East Coast boubou or Zanzibar boubou is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found from southeast Somalia to northeast Tanzania, and Zanzibar island.
Region
Coastal East Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs along the East African coast from southeast Somalia through coastal Kenya to northeastern Tanzania, including Zanzibar (Unguja). It favors dense coastal scrub, thickets, mangrove edges, riverine vegetation, and forest margins near the seaboard. The species often uses overgrown gardens and hedgerows in rural settlements. It typically keeps to the understory and lower midstory, moving through tangled foliage.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
This bushshrike is famed for its rich antiphonal duets, with mates answering each other almost instantly. It keeps to dense coastal thickets and mangroves, often remaining hidden while singing. Pairs defend territories year-round and show strong site fidelity. Also known as the Zanzibar boubou, it occurs on the East African coast and Zanzibar (Unguja).
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs that maintain and defend permanent territories. Pairs engage in synchronized duets and perform mutual preening. Nesting is in dense shrubs or low trees, where a small cup nest is built and both sexes share incubation and care.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A rich, melodious series of whistles delivered antiphonally by the pair; the two voices overlap cleanly, sounding like one bird. Calls include sharp tchak notes and mellow piping phrases, often given from concealed perches.
Plumage
Glossy black upperparts with clean whitish to creamy underparts; wings show a distinct white patch/wing bar and the outer tail feathers are tipped white. Feathers are sleek and smooth, with subtle buff wash on the breast in some birds. Juveniles are duller with some brownish edges and faint scaling below.
Diet
Takes a wide range of insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers, along with spiders and other arthropods. It will also snatch small frogs or lizards when available and occasionally eats berries and other soft fruits. Prey is gleaned from leaves and branches, probed from leaf litter, or taken by short sallies to the ground or nearby foliage.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense thickets, mangrove edges, and scrubby forest margins, usually from near ground level up to the lower midstory. It uses shaded, tangled vegetation where cover is ample, often along paths, streams, or garden edges.
