Bokmakierie

The Bokmakierie is a brilliant yellow, green and grey shrike. Size 22-23 cm - slightly smaller than a Laughing Dove , but more slender.

The bill is shortish, strong, with a sharp hook at the end of the upper mandible. The bill is black. The legs and feet are bluish-grey.

The Bokmakieries has brilliant yellow underparts with a broad black collar separating the throat from the breast. It has a grey head and thin yellow eyebrow. The back and wings are olive green.

The Bokmakierie is a unique species of "bush-shrike" which is at home in more open habitats, including highveld koppies, karoo, fynbos and semi-desert scrub. It is also found in parks and gardens in many towns and cities. It is usually found in pairs.

The Bokmakierie eats insects, small lizards and snakes, birds, frogs etc.

The name derives from its ringing and melodious call notes, often uttered in duet, from the top of a bush or small tree.

The call is very loud and very variable: kwit-kwit-kwit-kwit-kwit, wikiri, wikiri, wikiri, wikiri, ka weet, ka weet, ka weet.... bokmakirie, bokmakirie, bokmakirie koki, koki, etc in a variety of combinations. Either bird of a duetting pair may change song phrase in mid-song; notes sometimes trilled or clicked, prrr-too, prr-too or tok-weet, tok-weet.

The nest is a bulky bowl of twigs, stems and roots. It placed in a dense hedge, bush or fork of leafy tree.

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