Olive Bushshrike Telophorus olivaceus Scientific name definitions

18–23 cm; male 31–39 g, female 24·5–43·5 g. Male nominate race buff morph has lores white, narrow whitish postocular superciliary stripe, broad black patch across ear-coverts extending to side of neck and narrowly around upper front of eye; forehead to upper mantle bluish-grey, rest of upperparts olive-green; central three pairs of tail feathers blackish with olive-green outer edges, next pair blackish with distal part of outer web dark green and tip yellow (c. 7 mm long), outer two pairs with outer web green, inner web black at base and yellow at tip; upperwing dark green, most larger feathers broadly fringed olive-green; cheek and chin to breast light creamy buff, breast more cinnamon-buff, belly white, undertail-coverts greyish-white, flanks pale grey or olive (sometimes with about five faint dark bars), thighs olive; underwing-coverts and axillaries pale yellow (coverts along leading edge of wing grey), large yellow area on underside of flight-feathers formed by broad borders of inner webs; iris dark brown to chestnut-red or purple-brown; bill black, sometimes greyish base of lower mandible; legs bluish-grey. Olive morph differs in having whole of upperside, including crown, bright olive-green, lores and super­cilium greenish-yellow, cheek and chin to breast light orange, belly and undertail-coverts greenish-yellow, and flanks bright green. Female of buff morph is like buff-morph male, but ear-coverts to side of neck grey (like crown), often darker grey on ear-coverts, super­cilium vestigial or absent, breast duller, slightly more barring on flanks, all tail feathers green, outer two pairs with narrow yellow fringe on tip and inner web; female olive morph is like male of corresponding morph, but ear-coverts grey, supercilium inconspicuous, flanks with more extensive dark green barring, tail feathers as for buff-morph. Juvenile buff morph is dull olive-green above, greyer on head, whitish below, chin to upper breast barred dusky, lower breast and flanks barred dark green, tail as female, wing as adult but tips of secondaries, tertials and upperwing-coverts fringed buffish-white; olive-morph juvenile similar, but brighter olive-green above, greenish-yellow with dark green barring below, primary coverts barred, bill horn-brown. Races differ mainly in details of coloration and in bill size, all except nominate being monomorphic (buff): makawa resembles buff-morph nominate, but brighter green above, bill larger; bertrandi is like previous, but male has indistinct supercilium, and has greener tail with blackish confined to basal part of inner feathers and yellow to narrow fringes on outer two feather pairs; interfluvius is like nominate, but breast paler and less yellow-tinged, flanks pale olivaceous grey and faintly barred, and bill less heavy than in preceding two races; vitorum resembles last, but white supercilium more prominent, and facial mask dark grey (rather than black).

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Coastal, lowland and montane evergreen forests up to mistforest; matted evergreen dune forest, thickly wooded valleys and riverbanks, dense patches of thornveld, Philippia heath, wattle (Acacia) plantations; isolated forest patches at up to 2300 m.

Mainly resident; evidence of altitudinal migration in Malawi and E Zimbabwe, where occurs down to 350 m in Lusitu-Haroni confluence in non-breeding season. Some individuals of this species in SW Mozambique possibly non-breeding visitors from adjacent South Africa (escarpment forests in Limpopo Province).

Hymenoptera, including bees, hornets and ants; also beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), mantises (Mantidae), larvae, spiders (Araneae); some fruit, including figs (Ficus). Forages mostly in canopy and middle stratum; sometimes descends to low tangles at forest edge. Gleans from leaves and wood, hopping and bounding among twigs and small branches; agile, moving through vegetation rapidly and silently, peering, darting at prey, often making short "fripping" flights, and gliding quite fast between trees. Singly and in pairs, secretive, even when singing, but inquisitive; frequently joins mixed-species flocks. Seems to respond to calls of C. nigrifrons.

Season Oct–Nov in Malawi, Oct–Jan (mainly Nov) in Zimbabwe and Nov–Dec in Mozambique; in South Africa, Nov–Feb in N (former Transvaal), Sept–Dec in KwaZulu-Natal and Dec–Jan in S; single-brooded. In territorial interactions, male threatens with horizontal stance, bowing, swaying from side to side, flicking tail, and making discordant notes and piping whistles, snapping or clicking bill and making short wing-fripping flights; males often counter-sing with each other, in upright stance, tail slightly fanned. Nest, built by both sexes, a flimsy shallow saucer made from long, wiry twigs, thin pieces of grass, fine Asparagus stems, roots, aerial roots and tendrils (tendrils and roots becoming finer towards centre of nest structure), lined fairly thickly with rootlets and other fine material, eggs often visible from below; placed up to 6 m above ground in fork or across main branch, well concealed among foliage, often in acacia, creeper, Philippia or Woodringtonia tree. Clutch 1–2 eggs; incubation by both sexes, period 18 days; chicks fed by both parents, at first by regurgitation, some evidence that only male broods them, nestling period 16–17 days. Sometimes breeds for first time while still in barred juvenile plumage. Adult can survive for more than 7 years.

Not globally threatened. Patchily distributed in N of range; more continuous in S. In Malawi, found W of Rift Valley from Chongoni and Mt Dedza to boundary between Ntcheu and Mwanza Districts, and E of Rift from Malosa (Zomba) to Mulanje District; recorded at Fort Lister. In Zimbabwe, a single record in N, and in E highlands frequent at 1300–2300 m and uncommon at lower levels. In Mozambique, frequent near Zimbabwe frontier and on Mt Gorongoza at 900–1200 m, also in upper R Búzi drainage and the Vumba; uncommon along Sul do Save littoral and in S. Uncommon to frequent in South Africa and Swaziland; estimated density of 1 pair/1·5 ha in forests of former E Transvaal. Probably threatened locally to some degree by deforestation.