About Laniarius ferrugineus (Gmelin, 1788)
Laniarius ferrugineus, commonly known as the southern boubou, is a bird with distinct physical traits that vary by age and sex. Adult males measure 20–22 cm in length, and are fairly distinctive. Their upperparts, from the top of the head down to the tail, are black; they have a prominent white wing stripe, and a relatively long black tail with white outer feathers. Their underparts are white, fading to rufous on the lower belly, undertail, and flanks. The bill, eyes, and legs are all black. Adult females are similar to males, but have dark grey upperparts and a rufous wash across the breast. Juvenile birds resemble females, but have mottled buff-brown upperparts, a buff wash to the wing bar, and barring on the underparts. The rufous coloration on the underparts, which gives this species its scientific name, separates it from the tropical boubou and the swamp boubou. This species looks superficially similar to the southern fiscal, Lanius collaris, but has a shorter tail, more white visible in the wing, and much less conspicuous behavior.
