Malaconotidae

Malaconotidae, the bushshrikes, is a family of smallish passerine birds formerly grouped with the true shrikes but now classified on their own, comprising eight genera including Nilaus, Dryoscopus, Tchagra, Laniarius, Rhodophoneus, Chlorophoneus, Telophorus and Malaconotus. The family name refers to the birds fluffy back and rump feathers, and bushshrikes are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, entirely absent from Madagascar where the similar vangas fill the same ecological role. They inhabit scrub or open woodland and occasionally marshes or forests, hunting insects and other small prey, mainly large insects, along with occasional fruit, berries and rodents, from a perch on a bush. Some species put on flamboyant displays, such as male puffbacks puffing out their loose rump and back feathers to look almost ball-shaped, and the birds produce distinctive harsh or guttural calls, often sung as duets.