Souza Shrike (Lanius souzae) is arguably considered the ultimate “twitch” to most serious birders in Southern Africa. With only about a dozen confirmed sightings over the past years and confined to the Caprivi and northern Kavango Regions, this is considered a “rare resident or seasonal visitor” … until now.

Chris Townsend sent me an email about a Souza’s Shrike he had photographed west of Rundu in early December 2006. Later that month I was with John and Kerri Glendinning at this location, where I studied both the bird’s behaviour and habitat. I was convinced I would find Souza’s Shrike nearer to Shamvura Camp in isolated pockets of the same habitat type.

With renewed purpose I made a concerted effort to look for these birds closer to home and with Rob de Rover and Tisha Greyling on the 8th January 2007 discovered the first pair not more than 10km east of Shamvura Camp by merely searching in similar habitat. Since then I have located six other sites nearby where Souza’s Shrike can be found. I have been able to locate these birds during most months of the year and began to concentrate on finding breeding pairs as I was convinced the birds were breeding because of the behaviour of adult birds and on occasion the presence of sub adults.

On the 29th September, while guiding with the Nkwasi bird club, I discovered a Shrike-like nest and a pair of Souza’s Shrike nearby. The nest appeared in good shape and the close proximity of the pair of Souza’s led me to believe I had indeed found the first breeding record. The male bird was carrying a feather in his beak which seemed to confirm nesting activity. On 17th October I again saw the pair in the vicinity of this nest.

On 1st November together with Tertius Gous we discovered a second breeding pair of Souza’s Shrike constructing a nest 30km east of Shamvura Camp in a smaller Strychnos spinosa tree about 3m high. Some days later I found this nest appeared abandoned and the pair no longer in the vicinity.

I decided to concentrate on the first (apparently occupied) nest as it was closer to camp and showed more promise. On the 3rd November with Pompie Burger and Klaus Schindler, we found that this particular nest was no longer there but a new nest had been constructed in a young “Dolf/Kiaat” Pterocarpus angloensis tree about 30m away … and definitely occupied. This nest was in a fork about 5m above the ground and was quite deep and made up of tightly packed twigs. The sudden disappearance of the previous nearby nest could indicate that it had been entirely dismantled by the adults and the materials used for the new nest?

Incubation of 3 eggs was confirmed on the 7th November and it appeared that incubation started when the first egg was laid. Numerous visits during this time indicated only the female did the incubation. The male would regularly feed her at the nest or perch nearby with prey whereupon she would fly off the nest to accept food from him. Occasionally she would briefly fly off the eggs to capture nearby prey herself, returning to her duties once she had finished feeding. Both parents appeared very tolerant of other birds close to the nest and on one occasion an African Yellow White-eye was allowed within 20cm of the incubating female without any apparent concern. Other birds seen very close to the nest included Red-back Shrike, Lesser Grey shrike, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Chinspot Batis, Rattling Cisticola, Green-capped Eremomela and Pale Flycatcher.

Both birds were extremely quiet during this period even when food was being offered to the incubating female by the male, and I was allowed to approach to within 10m of the incubating female, confirming their exceptionally tolerant nature. Both adults were seen hunting throughout the day, even at midday on hot days.

The eggs hatched on the 18th November after an 11 day incubation period. There were no signs of eggshells indicating that they were removed or eaten. I managed to photograph 2 of the chicks on 19th November, showing a clear size difference and confirming that incubation begins as the first egg is laid. On 8th December the last of the 3 nestlings left the nest after a period of 20 days and was still being fed by the adults near the nest tree.

The adults were still feeding all three fully fledged chicks off the nest on the 27th December some 39 days after they had left the nest. Throughout the development stage the chicks were also non-vocal only occasionally letting slip with a subdued squeak when one of the adults arrived with food. Food items were soft prey, mostly either caterpillars or moth bodies with wings removed. At the very latest stage a cricket was seen to be offered. Again, hunting activity of both adults took place throughout the day whenever the opportunity arose. The male bird was quick to come to the nest with food items regardless of my proximity to it, while the female was much warier.

In the early stages of development it was always the female who shielded the chicks from the sun and rain. The male was never seen to participate in parental duties other than to provide food items. He did however often remove faecal sacs as did the female. The female, however, throughout her nesting duties would often fly off the nest to capture nearby prey items. She also seemed to maintain her immaculate appearance, clearly showing her light rufous flanks whereas the male by comparison appeared to become increasingly scruffy in his appearance. By the end of the nesting period his chest and belly region were a dull dirty grey in colour with feathers fluffed out as if greased. During this period I also observed both adults occasionally stashing prey items like locusts by skewering them on sharp branch lets of nearby trees.

Interestingly, this couple completely vacated the nesting area after completing the 39 days of feeding their young. Extensive searches of the neighbouring suitable habitat only revealed one adult that had been there before and was not connected to the breeding pair. This behaviour could indicate that adult birds move long distances with their well-developed young in an effort to discard them, thus teaching them forcefully to fend for themselves.

Souza’s Shrike occupies sparsely wooded areas amongst the mixed Burkea, Baekia woodlands of the Kavango Region where most birders would not seriously consider looking for them. To find these birds one has to exercise extreme patience while walking slowly and looking for the bird’s movement from a hunting perch to the ground and back up again. Their movements are not easily picked up.

Their nature in most cases is particularly confiding and long periods of inactive perching below or in the canopy of the few scattered trees within their habitat makes them even more difficult to spot. They remain motionless on these perches for extended periods, only occasionally sailing down lightly onto the ground once prey has been located, fairly accurately imitating a falling leaf. They often stay on the ground for up to 10 minutes completely invisible to the avid birder, before resuming their perch with captured prey. They occasionally use lower scrub canopy shrubs where they sit upright and are then more easily visible showing off their white chest and belly regions. In addition they are seldom associated with feeding parties and are almost entirely non-vocal. In my experience they also do not respond to calls.

They often do not display the white scapulars which form a bar on the upper wing and are then easily overlooked or mistaken as Red-backed Shrike. The long, thin rufous tail is however quite markedly different to similar Shrikes.

Souza’s Shrike can now be considered as definitely resident and breeding, at least in the Kavango Region. I feel they have been previously overlooked because to most birders their preferred habitat does not appear to be suitable for birds and is therefore ignored for more fruitful looking woodland. The white wing stripe is not as noticeable as most illustrations indicate and may also have led to the bird being mistaken for young or female Red-backed Shrike. In my opinion this illusive little scoundrel has eluded most birders and earned its rare status merely by its habitat preference and its unobtrusive habits.

Mark Paxton
Shamvura

African Hobby regularly put in an appearance around Shamvura Camp and this year is no exception. We still see the bird doing its rounds above the camp at sundown on most evenings.

Mark Paxton
9 January 2008