Grey cuckooshrike facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grey cuckooshrike
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Ceblepyris
Species:	caesius

The grey cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris caesius) is a cool bird from the cuckooshrike family, Campephagidae. It's a medium-sized forest bird. It has grey to blue-grey plumage (that's its feathers!) and big black eyes. You can find two types of these birds in different forest areas in southern and central Africa.

About the Grey Cuckooshrike Family

The grey cuckooshrike belongs to a bird family called Campephagidae. These are "old world songbirds." There are almost 90 different kinds of birds in this family. They live in Africa, Asia, and Australia.

The grey cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris caesia) is often thought of as a "superspecies" with the white-breasted cuckooshrike (Ceblepyris pectoralis). This means they are very closely related. They look quite similar, but the white-breasted cuckooshrike has striking white feathers underneath. The grey cuckooshrike has grey feathers underneath. Also, the grey cuckooshrike lives in higher places than its white-breasted cousin.

Scientists did a study in 2010. It showed that these two species are indeed very close relatives. Their shared ancestor separated from the ancestor of Grauer's cuckooshrike.

The International Ornithologists' Union (IOC) officially calls this bird the "Grey cuckooshrike." People also often call it the mountain grey cuckooshrike or the African grey cuckooshrike. In South Africa, it has other names like usinga in Pirie Forest. It's called umsimpofu near Elliotdale and the Mthatha River. In eastern Pondoland, it's known as umswinkobe.

Types of Grey Cuckooshrikes

There are two types, or subspecies, of C. caesius that live in sub-Saharan Africa. The only difference between these two types is their size.

• C. c. caesius: This type was first described in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, in 1823. It lives in parts of South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
• C. c. pura: This type was described in 1891. It lives in southeastern Nigeria, western Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, northeastern DRC, Malawi, and northwestern Mozambique.

What Does a Grey Cuckooshrike Look Like?

The grey cuckooshrike is a medium-sized bird. It is about 25 to 27 centimeters (10-11 inches) long. It weighs between 53 and 68 grams (1.9-2.4 ounces).

These birds show sexual dimorphism. This means males and females look a bit different. Both have a blue-grey head and body. They have a large, very black eye with a thin white ring around it. Their beak and legs are black.

• Males have a dark grey patch near their eyes (called a loreal patch).
• Females have grey loreal patches. They are also a slightly lighter shade of grey overall.

Young grey cuckooshrikes (juveniles) are dark brown with grey-white stripes on top. Their undersides are white with brown stripes. They have black tails with white edges on the tips. Their flight feathers also have white edges.

Where Grey Cuckooshrikes Live and Travel

Grey cuckooshrikes prefer to live in certain types of forests. These include Afromontane forests (mountain forests), lowland forests, and coastal forests. They also like dense woodlands near rivers.

Sometimes, you can see them looking for food in pine and wattle tree farms. In winter, they might even visit trees in small towns. They usually live in high places:

• Above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in West Africa.
• Between 1,500 and 3,000 meters (4,900-9,800 feet) in Central and East Africa.
• However, they also visit coastal areas below 900 meters (3,000 feet) in East Africa.
• In Zimbabwe and South Africa, they are found at 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) or lower.

These birds mostly stay in one place. But they do move around after breeding, especially during the dry season. This is called altitudinal migration. In Cameroon, they move to lower places after the breeding season. In South Africa, they fly from forests in the northern highveld to forests in the lowveld. They often visit coastal areas in the Eastern and Western Cape during winter.

Grey Cuckooshrike Behavior

What Grey Cuckooshrikes Eat

The grey cuckooshrike is an insectivore. This means it mostly eats insects! Their diet includes crickets, caterpillars, and locusts. They also enjoy spiders, winged termites, and beetles.

They look for food high up in the forest trees. They search for insects among the leaves and on tree trunks. They hop along branches and check the underside of leaves above them. When they spot an insect, they quickly grab it. Then they fly back to their perch to eat their meal.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

In Southern Africa, grey cuckooshrikes breed during the summer months. This is usually between October and January. They have been seen building nests as early as September in the southernmost parts of South Africa. The subspecies in Central Africa breeds during the rainy season. However, they avoid the very wettest times.

Their nests are shaped like a shallow bowl. Both the male and female build the nest. They use Usnea lichen (a type of moss-like plant) and spider webs. The nests are placed high up in trees, about 17 to 20 meters (56-66 feet) from the ground, usually at the edge of the forest.

They usually lay one or two eggs. The eggs are oval-shaped and pale bluish-green. They have olive and brown spots. When the chicks hatch, they are black with grey fuzz. They stay in the nest until the next breeding season. Both the male and female sit on the eggs to keep them warm (incubate). We don't know much else about how long they incubate or when the chicks leave the nest.

Grey cuckooshrikes are monogamous breeders. This means they stay with the same partner until one of them dies. The bird that survives will then find a new mate.

Social Life and Calls

The grey cuckooshrike can be hard to spot. This makes it tricky to watch their behavior. They are usually seen alone or in pairs. Sometimes, you might see them in small groups of up to 7 birds. When it's not breeding season, they have been seen looking for food with mixed groups of other bird species. Their flight is described as "slow and level with heavy wing beats."

These birds are quite quiet. Their call is a soft, high-pitched "tseeeeep" when they are looking for food. At their nests, they make a "seeeeea" call. Other sounds they make include a chatter, like a weaver bird, and sneeze-like "chi-ooo" sounds.

Grey Cuckooshrikes and People

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has a list called the IUCN Red List. They have rated the grey cuckooshrike as "least concern." This means it is not currently threatened with extinction. We don't know the exact number of these birds. However, their population is thought to be getting smaller because of deforestation (when forests are cut down).

In the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, scientists found about six grey cuckooshrikes in every 4.5 hectares (about 11 acres). They are not considered common or easy to spot. This is partly because they live high up in the forest trees. It's also because they are naturally quiet and blend in. They don't seem to mind humans. They have been seen in trees in towns and even in people's gardens.