Retz's helmetshrike

Retz's helmetshrike (Prionops retzii) is a species of bird in the helmetshrike family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae.

Retz's helmetshrike
P. r. tricolor and calls of the nominate subspecies, both from South Africa
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Vangidae
Genus:	Prionops
Species:	P. retzii
Binomial name
Prionops retzii Wahlberg, 1856

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:^[2][3]

• P. r. nigricans (Neumann, 1899) – south central Africa
• P. r. graculinus Cabanis, 1868 – East Africa
• P. r. retzii Wahlberg, 1856 – northern parts of southern Africa
• P. r. tricolor G.R. Gray, 1864 – eastern and southeastern Africa

Range and habitat

It is found in Angola, Botswana, DRC, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.

Gallery

• 
  P. r. graculinus in eastern Kenya
• 
  P. r. tricolor, juvenile in Kruger Park
• 
  South Africa
•