CreatureData

Southern boubou

Laniarius ferrugineus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus) is a species in the family Malaconotidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 46.8 g to 58 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus)
Photo: Claude Gibney Finch-Davies (24 May 1875 – 4 August 1920) copied by Norman… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the southern boubou

Weight
46.8 g – 58 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
11 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2 – 2.25src 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 southern boubou live?

Not recorded

What is the southern boubou?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus) ('ferrugineus' - rust-coloured) is a species of bushshrike. Though these passerine birds and their relations were once included with true shrikes in the Laniidae, they are not closely related to that family.

This species is found in southeastern Africa, mainly in southeastern Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana, Mozambique and southern and eastern South Africa. It frequents dense thickets in forests, mangroves, scrub and gardens. In drier regions, it is found in riverside woodland.

From the Wikipedia article “Southern boubou” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_boubou&oldid=1361256829), 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 southern boubou endangered?

The southern boubou 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 southern boubou classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMalaconotidae
  6. genusLaniarius
  7. SpeciesLaniarius ferrugineus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Diplophoneus ferrugineus, Diplophonus ferrugineus, Laniarus aethiopicus major, Laniarus ferrugineus major, Lanius ferruginatus, Lanius ferrugineus, Lanius rubiginosus

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Boubou shrikeEnglish
  • SOBOEnglish
  • Suidelike WaterfiskaalAfrikaans
  • bubú ferruginósCatalan
  • ťuhýkovec jižníCzech
  • bwbw'r PenrhynWelsh
  • OkkerbubuDanish
  • FlötenwürgerGerman
  • rufaventra malakonotoEsperanto
  • Bubú ferrugíneoSpanish
  • roostekõht-pagulindEstonian
  • rusoduettolepinkäinenFinnish
  • Gonolek boubouFrench
  • cimetastotrba čagraCroatian
  • zuluföldi bozótgébicsHungarian
  • Bubu meridionaleItalian
  • セグロヤブモズJapanese
  • pietinė giedančioji medšarkėLithuanian
  • WaterfiskaalDutch
  • rustboboNorwegian
  • dzierzyk rdzawobrzuchyPolish
  • bubu-ferrugíneoPortuguese
  • picanço-ferrugíneoPortuguese
  • Бубу-флейтистRussian
  • Флейтовый певчий сорокопутRussian
  • mäsiarik flautovýSlovak
  • Južni bubu svračakSerbian
  • Sydlig boboSwedish
  • rostbukig busktörnskataSwedish
  • Kızılca Karınlı BubuTurkish
  • гонолек південнийUkrainian
  • 锈色黑鵙Chinese
  • 南方鏽色黑伯勞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the southern boubou

Other species in the same genus Laniarius.

CompareSouthern boubou vs Yellow-crowned gonolekSouthern boubou vs Crimson-breasted shrikeSouthern boubou vs Swamp boubouSouthern boubou vs Black-headed gonolek

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the southern boubou?

An adult southern boubou weighs 46.8 g – 58 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the southern boubou endangered?

The southern boubou 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 southern boubou?

The southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus) 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.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-boubou

MLA

“Southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-boubou.

BibTeX
@misc{southern_boubou_2026,
  title = {Southern boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-boubou},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}