Willard's sooty boubou is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae, native to the Albertine Rift montane forests.
Region
Albertine Rift, East-Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane evergreen forests and dense secondary growth, including forest edges and thickets. It favors tangled viney understory, bamboo patches, and gullies with dense shrub layers. Often keeps close to the ground or mid-story, moving through cover rather than crossing open spaces. It may persist in selectively logged forest where understory remains intact.
Altitude Range
1200–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Willard's sooty boubou was described as a distinct species in the 2010s from the Albertine Rift and named in honor of museum curator David Willard. It is notoriously skulking, keeping to dense undergrowth where pairs often perform antiphonal duets. The species differs from similar sooty boubous by its pale irides and subtle vocal and genetic traits.
Temperament
secretive and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically found singly or in territorial pairs that remain together year-round. Pairs maintain dense thicket territories and communicate with responsive duets. Nests are placed low to mid-height in dense shrubs or vines, with both sexes involved in territory defense.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Duets of clear, fluty whistles delivered antiphonally between pair members, often starting with a mellow whistle followed by a richer reply. Also gives harsh scolds and chack notes when alarmed from dense cover.
Plumage
Uniform sooty to blackish plumage with a slight bluish gloss; feathers appear dense and sleek without barring.
Diet
Primarily hunts insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and orthopterans, gleaned from leaves and stems or captured on short sallies. Also takes spiders and other arthropods, and occasionally small frogs or other tiny vertebrates. May opportunistically consume small fruits or berries.
Preferred Environment
Feeds within tangled understory, vine tangles, and along forest edges where cover is dense. Forages from near ground level to the lower mid-story, often moving methodically through thickets.
