Scarlet
The crimson-breasted shrike or the crimson-breasted gonolek, (‘gonolek’ – supposedly imitative of its call), is a southern African bird. It has black upperparts with a white flash on the wing and bright scarlet underparts. The crimson-breasted shrike is non-migratory and occurs in a broad swathe from southern Angola to the Free State province in South Africa. Its preferred habitat is drier thorn bush areas, in thickets and riparian scrub. It makes small seasonal migrations, preferring lower altitudes during cold periods. This shrike is extremely nimble and restless, its penetrating whistles often being the first sign of its presence, although it is not a shy species.
