Bokmakierie
Telophorus zeylonus
Also known as: Bokmakierie Bushshrike, Bokmakierie Bush-Shrike
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
65 g
About This Species
A striking yellow-and-green bushshrike of fynbos, karoo scrub and thicket in southern Africa, more often heard than seen as it delivers a loud, ringing duet with its mate from deep cover. It forages low in dense shrubbery for insects and occasionally small vertebrates, staying hidden for long stretches between bursts of song. Dawn and dusk are the best times to hear the duet, which can help pinpoint a pair's location within a territory.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because it favours thick, tangled scrub, viewing usually means waiting quietly near a calling pair rather than pushing into the vegetation, which is more likely to flush the birds without a sighting.
- Keep well back from dense cover during the breeding season, when nests are low and easily disturbed by people moving through scrub.
- It is a widespread and secure species, but general provincial nature conservation rules in South Africa still apply to disturbance near active nests.
Seasonal Activity
156,683 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Malaconotidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 65 g
Photo
(c) Marie Delport, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Marie Delport
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.