Gray-headed Bushshrike
Malaconotus blanchoti
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMalaconotidae (Bushshrikes and Allies)
- GenusMalaconotus (Large Bushshrikes)
- SpeciesMalaconotus blanchoti (Gray-headed Bushshrike)
The grey-headed bushshrike (Malaconotus blanchoti), colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa and the interior of southern Africa. It is the most widespread species of its genus, which consists of large bushshrikes with massive bills and mournful hooting calls. It occurs sparsely in a range of wooded habitats, though typically in denser vegetation within dry or moist savannah. The monogamous pairs occupy woodland with sufficient cover. They are sedentary, but will undertake limited post-breeding movements. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Moremi Game Reserve
Crimson-breasted Gonolek
Laniarius atrococcineus
Gabon Boubou
Laniarius bicolor
Black-crowned Tchagra
Tchagra senegalus
Black-backed Puffback
Dryoscopus cubla
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Tchagra australis
Brubru
Nilaus afer
Tropical Boubou
Laniarius major
Burchell's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis australis
Fork-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus adsimilis
Meves's Glossy-starling
Lamprotornis mevesii
Magpie Shrike
Urolestes melanoleucus
Red-billed Oxpecker
Buphagus erythrorhynchus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Gray-headed Bushshrike at Moremi Game Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there