Brubru
Nilaus afer
The Brubru (Nilaus afer) is a uncommon bushshrik found in 35 countries, weighing about 19 g. The brubru is a species of bushshrike found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa.
About the Brubru
The brubru is a species of bushshrike found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Nilaus.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The brubru is a small passerine, 12–15 cm long. The adult male of the nominate subspecies, N. a. afer, has a black crown, white supercilium and forehead, and black eyestripe. The back is black with a tawny strip, the rump is mottled black, and the tail is black with white tips and edges to the outer feathers. The wings are black with a buff shoulder stripe. The underparts are white with rufous flanks. The female is duller and browner, with some streaking on the underparts and less rufous on the flanks.
What the Brubru sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Eritrea.
When to see it
The Brubru can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Brubru?
- The brubru is a small passerine, 12–15 cm long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Brubru?
- The Brubru is a small sized bird weighing about 19 g.
- Where can you see a Brubru?
- The Brubru occurs in 35 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- What does a Brubru sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Brubru on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Brubru?
- The Brubru is most easily confused with the Brown-crowned Tchagra, the Orange-breasted Bushshrike and the Grey-headed Bushshrike.
- Is the Brubru endangered?
- The Brubru is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Brubru for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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