About Laniarius atrococcineus (Burchell, 1822)
Males and females of this species share identical coloration and cannot be told apart from one another. The bird's upper body, including its wings and tail, is black, and the wings feature a broad white bar. The underparts are a bright, vivid scarlet. A form with yellow breast feathers is seen occasionally, and this variant was originally classified as its own separate species. Juvenile birds have a mottled, barred buff-brown plumage and a pale bill. This species, commonly called the crimson-breasted shrike, is non-migratory overall, and it is found across a wide band of territory stretching from southern Angola to the Free State and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. It prefers to live in dry thornbush landscapes, thickets, and riparian scrub. It does make small, seasonal movements, moving to lower altitudes during cold periods of the year.
