Red-naped bushshrike

The red-naped bushshrike or red-naped boubou (Laniarius ruficeps) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae, which is native to the dry lowlands of the eastern Afrotropics.

Red-naped bushshrike
L. r. kismayensis (top)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Malaconotidae
Genus:	Laniarius
Species:	L. ruficeps
Binomial name
Laniarius ruficeps (Shelley, 1885)
Synonyms
Dryoscopus ruficeps Shelley, 1885

Range and habitat

It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical dry shrubland, under 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.

Habits

It is a shy and skulking bird,^[2] that forages on the ground and in the lower strata of dense thickets and thornbush.^[3] It sings just after sunrise from a bushtop. They have various harsh and repetitive calls, which includes dueting.^[2]

Subspecies

There are three accepted subspecies:^[3]

• L. r. ruficeps (Shelley, 1885) – northern Somalia

Description: Crown to hindneck bright orange-rufous to rufous-red, forecrown black^[3]

• L. r. rufinuchalis (Sharpe, 1895) – Ethiopia, central Somalia and Kenya

Description: Forecrown black^[2]

• L. r. kismayensis (Erlanger, 1901) – coastal Somalia and Kiunga, Kenya

Description: Forecrown orange-red^[2]