Southern tchagra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern tchagra |
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Tchagra
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tchagra
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The southern tchagra (Tchagra tchagra) is a small bird that lives in southern South Africa and Eswatini. You can find it in thick bushes and coastal areas.
This bird belongs to a group called bushshrikes. Bushshrikes are like cousins to the true shrikes. They used to be considered part of the shrike family, but now they are in their own group.
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What Does the Southern Tchagra Look Like?
The southern tchagra is a medium-sized bird, about 17 to 21 centimeters (7 to 8 inches) long. It has a brown cap on its head and black stripes around its eyes. A wide white stripe sits above each eye, like an eyebrow.
Its belly is light grey, and its back is light brown. When its wings are folded, they show a pretty chestnut (reddish-brown) color. Its tail is black with white tips. The bird has a long, black beak.
Both male and female southern tchagras look very similar. Young birds are a bit duller in color and have a buff (pale yellowish-brown) stripe through their eyes.
How to Tell It Apart From Similar Birds
The southern tchagra looks a lot like the black-crowned tchagra. However, the black-crowned tchagra is bigger. Also, adult black-crowned tchagras have a black cap on their heads, not brown.
It can be tricky because young black-crowned tchagras also have a brown cap. But you can still tell them apart! Young black-crowned tchagras are larger, have a shorter beak, and their undersides are paler.
Different Types of Southern Tchagras
There are three slightly different kinds, or subspecies, of the southern tchagra:
- T. t. tchagra: This type lives in the Western Cape of South Africa. It has the darkest grey belly and the longest beak.
- T. t. caffrariae: This type has paler grey underparts and the shortest beak.
- T. t. natalensis: Found in eastern South Africa and Eswatini, this type has the palest grey belly and a reddish-brown cap.
What Sounds Does It Make?
The male southern tchagra sings a beautiful, whistling song that goes down in pitch: ttttrtr te te te teuuu. It often sings this song while flying or sitting on a branch. The female bird replies with a trilled sound, tzerrrrrrrr.
Life and Habits of the Southern Tchagra
The southern tchagra is a bird that likes to be alone. It defends its own space, especially when it's time to have babies. It's not as easy to spot as some other shrikes.
This bird looks for its food on the ground. It mainly eats insects and other small creatures.
Reproduction and Nesting
The southern tchagra builds a cup-shaped nest. It uses small twigs and plant stems to make it. The nest is usually placed in a fork of a branch within a bush or scrub.
The female bird usually lays two eggs, but sometimes three. The eggs are white with grey and reddish-brown spots. The eggs hatch after about 16 days. The young birds stay in the nest for another 14 days before they are ready to fly.
Images for kids
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A southern tchagra bird.
