Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Magpie Shrike in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Magpie Shrike at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Urolestes melanoleucus

See where to stay
Magpie Shrike
Photo: (c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Magpie Shrike

Hosts have recorded the Magpie Shrike at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland · Ithala

    Stays in KwaZulu-Natal
    KwaZulu-Natal

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Kruger

Species

Urolestes melanoleucus

Records

1,527

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Magpie Shrike on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Magpie Shrike in South Africa?

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.

Where can you see the Magpie Shrike in South Africa?

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.

When is the best time to see the Magpie Shrike?

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.

What is the Magpie Shrike?

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.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Magpie Shrike

Every stay on the Magpie Shrike page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

See where to stay