CreatureData

Black-headed gonolek

Laniarius erythrogaster (Cretzschmar, 1829)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a species in the family Malaconotidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 47.5 g to 48.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster)
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black-headed gonolek

Weight
47.5 g – 48.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black-headed gonolek live?

Not recorded

What is the black-headed gonolek?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in the African countries of Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.

The black-headed gonolek is a distinctively coloured bush-shrike though it is generally shy and retiring. However, close to human habitation and in gardens, it often becomes much bolder. It has a very distinctive call which it makes in concert with its partner. The male makes a loud, clear, bell-like sound to which the female responds almost simultaneously with a harsh grating response.

From the Wikipedia article “Black-headed gonolek” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-headed_gonolek&oldid=1363115400), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black-headed gonolek endangered?

The black-headed gonolek is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the black-headed gonolek classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMalaconotidae
  6. genusLaniarius
  7. SpeciesLaniarius erythrogaster (Cretzschmar, 1829)

Synonyms Laniarius barbarus erythrogaster, Laniarius erythrogaster chrysostictus, Laniarus barbarus erythrogaster, Laniarus erythrogaster, Lanius erythrogaster

Other names and names in other languages (30)
  • BHGOEnglish
  • bubú capnegreCatalan
  • ťuhýkovec karmínovobřichýCzech
  • bwbw pendduWelsh
  • SkarlagengonolekDanish
  • RotbauchwürgerGerman
  • ScharlachwürgerGerman
  • ruĝventra malakonotoEsperanto
  • Bubú cabecinegroSpanish
  • kinaver-pagulindEstonian
  • punalepinkäinenFinnish
  • Gonolek à ventre rougeFrench
  • crvenotrba čagraCroatian
  • Gonolek testaneraItalian
  • アカクロヤブモズJapanese
  • juodagalvė giedančioji medšarkėLithuanian
  • ZwartkopfiskaalDutch
  • svarthodegonolekNorwegian
  • dzierzyk czarnogłowyPolish
  • bubu-de-cabeça-pretaPortuguese
  • picanço-de-barriga-vermelhaPortuguese
  • Черноголовый гонолекRussian
  • Пурпурный певчий сорокопутRussian
  • mäsiarik červenobruchýSlovak
  • Crnoglavi gonolekSerbian
  • scharlakansbusktörnskataSwedish
  • Kara Başlı Kırmızı BubuTurkish
  • гонолек жовтоокийUkrainian
  • 黑头黑鵙Chinese
  • 黑頭黑伯勞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black-headed gonolek

Other species in the same genus Laniarius.

CompareBlack-headed gonolek vs Yellow-crowned gonolekBlack-headed gonolek vs Crimson-breasted shrikeBlack-headed gonolek vs Swamp boubouBlack-headed gonolek vs Slate-colored boubou

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black-headed gonolek?

An adult black-headed gonolek weighs 47.5 g – 48.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black-headed gonolek endangered?

The black-headed gonolek is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the black-headed gonolek?

The black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) belongs to the family Malaconotidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gonolek

MLA

“Black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gonolek.

BibTeX
@misc{black_headed_gonolek_2026,
  title = {Black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gonolek},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}