Magpie Shrike

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Magpie Shrike at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Ithala Game Reserve and Madikwe Game Reserve. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Magpie Shrike is most recorded in Mpumalanga (51% of records), Limpopo (33% of records), Gauteng (7% of records), based on 1,527 iNaturalist observations. 22 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Magpie Shrike on site or nearby.

The Magpie Shrike is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; iSimangaliso Wetland Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Ithala Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The magpie shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus), also known as the African long-tailed shrike, is a species of bird in the Laniidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Urolestes. It is native to the grasslands of eastern and southeastern Africa, where its natural habitats are dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.