The slate-colored boubou or slate-coloured boubou is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Ethiopia and Somalia through South Sudan and Uganda to Kenya, Rwanda, and northern Tanzania. It favors arid to semi-arid scrub, Acacia-Commiphora bushlands, dry savannas, and dense thickets along watercourses. The species also uses edges of woodland and overgrown cultivation, provided there is ample undergrowth. It typically stays close to the ground or mid-level cover, moving quietly through tangled vegetation.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Slate-colored boubous are secretive bushshrikes that keep close to dense scrub and often reveal themselves by their rich duets. Pairs perform antiphonal songs, with each bird answering the other in rapid sequence. They defend year-round territories and are more often heard than seen.
Lake Bogoria - Kenya
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct between patches of cover
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs that maintain permanent territories. Pairs engage in coordinated duets and remain in close contact while moving through dense vegetation. The nest is a small cup hidden in a shrub or thorny thicket; both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing duties.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Duets are rich, mellow, and antiphonal—one bird gives low whistles or hoots and the partner answers with sharper, higher notes. Calls include harsh churring alarms and dry clicks given from inside cover.
