loading...
A photo of a Southern Tchagra (Tchagra tchagra)
Southern Tchagra

Southern Tchagra

Tchagra tchagra

The southern tchagra (Tchagra tchagra) is a passerine bird found in dense scrub and coastal bush in southern and south-eastern South Africa and Swaziland. This species is a bushshrike, a group closely related to the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, and formerly included in that family. The southern tchagra is 17–21 cm in length. It has a brown crown and black eye stripes separated by a broad white supercilium. The underparts are pale grey and the upperparts pale brown. The folded wings are chestnut and the tail is black, tipped white. The longish bill is black. The sexes are similar, but young birds are duller and have a buff stripe through the eye. This species is similar to the black-crowned tchagra, but that species is larger, and the adult, as its name implies, has a black rather than brown crown. An identification pitfall is that juvenile black-crowned tchagra has a brown crown. It can be separated from southern tchagra by its larger size, relatively shorter bill and paler underparts. There are three fairly similar subspecies of southern tchagra. Nominate T. t. tchagra of the Western Cape has the darkest underparts and longest bill. T. t. caffrariae has paler underparts and the shortest bill, and T. t. natalensis of eastern South Africa and Swaziland has the palest underparts and a reddish-brown crown. The male southern tchagra has a descending whistling song, ttttrtr te te te teuuu given in its display flight or from a perch. The female responds with a trilled tzerrrrrrrr.
Birda logo
Download Birda for free and join the community of curious everyday people connecting with the natural world
Birda logo
Download Birda for free and join the community

Southern Tchagras on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
🦅
Aart Verrips
Saturday 20 May 2023 - 1:06pm
South Africa
A map showing the sighting location
🦅
Aart Verrips
Saturday 20 May 2023 - 11:27am
South Africa
A map showing the sighting location
🦅
Aart Verrips
Sunday 14 May 2023 - 9:14am
South Africa
A map showing the sighting location
🦅
Aart Verrips
Friday 12 May 2023 - 4:41am
South Africa
Connect with nature,
Find your flock
Copyright © 2023 Chirp Birding Ltd. All rights reserved.