Brubru Nilaus afer Scientific name definitions

12·5–15 cm; male 17–32 g and female 18–30 g (solivagus) ; male 21–27 g and female 21–25 g (nigritemporalis), sexes combined 13–20 g (minor). Male nominate race has central forehead, crown, nape, and stripe from behind eye to side of neck black, side of forehead, lores and long broad superciliary stripe white, hindneck whitish; side of mantle black, scapulars black, rest of mantle and back rufous-buff with black spots; rump plumage very full, soft and fluffy, black and white (each feather with blackish tip, large white subterminal patch, dark grey base), uppertail-coverts black; tail black, outermost feather with white tip and white outer web, next two pairs with small white triangle at tip and white streak along outer edge, next pair with or without small white tip; upperwing black, primaries with narrow rufous-buff edges, tertials with broad warm rufous-buff outer edges, median and inner greater upperwing-coverts warm rufous-buff; cheek, chin, throat and underparts white, comparatively narrow dark chestnut line on side and flanks; underwing-coverts and axillaries white, blackish carpal patch; iris dark crimson-brown; bill black; legs grey. Female is like male, but black areas above duller and warm brown, rich rufous-buff tinge in white areas, narrow dark chestnut line from below eye running down sides of throat and breast to flanks, chestnut on flanks somewhat paler and less extensive, slight dark streaking from chin to breast. Juvenile plumage (of short duration) whitish with dark brown bars on forehead and crown, hindcollar buffy, mantle whitish with dark brown bars, back mainly white, tail dark brown and warm buff, wings warm dark buff, dull white below with widely spaced narrow dark vermiculations; immature crown dark brown with white speckles, white supercilium mottled dark brown, hindneck and sides of mantle and back dark brown with broken white bars and white speckles, centre of mantle and back with large white blotches, rump and uppertail-coverts dark brown and whitish, wings dark brown and pale buff, ear-coverts whitish with dusky speckles, dark line behind eye to hindneck, underparts white with irregular short dark brown bars and few rufous feathers at side. Races differ mainly in plumage coloration and pattern: camerunensis is like nominate but white areas on head and underparts more greyish, female chin to breast greyish-white and slightly dark-speckled; <em>minor</em> is similar to brubru, but smaller; massaicus resembles nominate but pale areas in upperparts white, cream or pale rufous, and chestnut line on side much wider and slightly paler, female dark brown and white above, dark line from eye down to side of breast; nigritemporalis has white forehead, black lores, short white anterior supercilium, pale areas above are white (not buffy), underparts like nominate but stripe on side rufous (not chestnut), female like nominate but light areas in upperparts pale buff, rufous line along side narrow and fragmentary; affinis short white anterior supercilium, pure white below without any rufous, female dark brown and creamy above, greyish-white with slight buffy wash below, chin to breast quite heavily streaked and speckled with black; brubru has lores white with black spots, pale areas above are white (not buffy or rufous), chestnut line on flanks paler, and broader, female dark brown and white above, lacks dark line from eye down to side of breast, line on side pale rufous and smaller than male's, chin to upper breast with blackish streaks and speckles; solivagus has blacker upperparts than previous, white on back tinged yellowish, underparts creamy (not white), chestnut stripe narrower and darker than in previous; miombensis male is like male nigritemporalis, female pure white below, unmarked on throat and breast, stripe along side reduced to small chestnut streaks.

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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.

Varies regionally, from canopy of mature Brachystegia, Colophospermum, Combretum with Terminalia and other broadleaf woodlands in mesic areas to flat-topped acacia (Acacia) woods and scrub in arid environments; occurs in 11 out of 17 woodland types in Botswana; often in open park-like country. In desert areas occurs in small, isolated clumps of thorn trees. At 1000–1500 m in Uganda, 530–2120 m in Ethiopia, and to 1360 m in Eritrea.

Mostly resident. Partial migrant in W Africa, dry-season visitor late Oct to mid-Mar in coastal Liberia and on Accra Plains, in Ghana; thought to be migratory in Ouaddaï region of Chad, where occurs Jul–Sept; common resident in Ennedi hills, in Sahara, but perhaps also partial migrant there.

Invertebrates, including moths and caterpillars (Lepidoptera), ants (Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), flies (Diptera) and spiders (Araneae). Unobtrusive, never gregarious; spends nearly all of its time in foliage, often near tops of emergent broadleaf or microphyllous savanna trees. Flight fast and undulating, at or above treetop level. Pair-members often forage far apart; silent for long periods when foraging. Active, gleaning foliage and branches in canopy ; quite acrobatic, feeding in manner of a tit (Paridae), with body at all angles, sometimes head down or completely upside down as it investigates leaf sprays, inflorescences or pods at tips of branches. Occasionally hawks insects in air. Holds large prey item under one foot in order to deal with it. Often joins mixed-species foraging flocks.

Male song, commonly heard, a repeated far-carrying, high-pitched trill lasting 0·5–0·8 seconds, varying regionally from fast buzz with individual notes barely discernible, "prrrrriiiii", to slower, telephone-like trill, "b-r-r-r-r-r-u-u-u-u-u", trill sometimes (especially in S Africa) preceded by up to 6 soft clicking notes, "tch-tch-wrrrrreeeee" or "wop-prrrrreeeee", song repeated up to c. 40 times; female responds erratically with few short, squeaky notes, usually synchronously with male's trill. Two males often counter-sing, using trills at different pitches, females joining in with repeated "eeeu-eeeu" and "tu-tu" calls; duets used for maintaining long-range contact, soft "pe-with" or "chip-chip" notes or harsh rasps for short-range contact. At least ten distinct calls known, including repeated short trills and wing-fripping in territorial encounters, a repeated penetrating "piep-piep-piep..." by both sexes; nasal "naaa-naaa" notes; rapidly-repeated "chk-chk-chk..." and rasping "tzzrr" in alarm; in E Africa a long rapid chatter, "chatatatatatata...". Often frips wings loudly and excitedly.

Season about Jun–Nov in Gambia and Mali, about Jan–Feb in Ghana and Nigeria, May in Niger, Feb in Chad, Apr–May and Nov in Sudan, Apr in Ethiopia, Apr–May in Somalia, about Jan–Feb in DRCongo, May–Jul in Uganda; Mar, May, Jul, Sept–Oct in Kenya (E of Rift Valley) and NE Tanzania, Oct–Dec in rest of Tanzania; Sept–Jan (mainly Sept) in Zambia, Aug–Sept and Mar in Malawi, Oct–Nov in Namibia, Oct–Feb in Botswana, Sept–Jan (mainly Sept–Oct) in Zimbabwe; in South Africa, Aug–Jan in former Transvaal and Sept–Dec in KwaZulu-Natal. Pair defends permanent territory of 33–42 ha, advertises it by singing all year; disputes between neighbouring pairs common, with chasing and supplanting, intense territorial interactions involving counter-singing and zigzag display-flights with wing-fripping and deep, rather slow wingbeats, also (when perched) bowing and rapid side-to-side movements of body; male sings from exposed treetop perch, with body inclined, head raised, neck outstretched, crown and throat feathers raised, tail slightly fanned. Courtship incorporates elements of territorial behaviour; in sexual display, male perched with food in bill and gave series of high-pitched "tuet-tuet-tuet" calls interspersed with "prrreeee" trills, then flew to female, sidled up to her and the two copulated. Nest-building shared by sexes (see Family Text ), building takes two days, shaping a further four days (eggs laid up to four days later); a small, neat, not very deep, open cup made from bits of fine pliant leaf petioles, twigs, tendrils and pieces of bark, felted together with spider web, generally covered profusely on outside with bits of foliaceous lichen (two nests each made entirely of three materials: spider web, c. 95 pieces of lichen, and up to 550 petioles); placed usually on two-pronged or three-pronged fork on gently sloping branch (c. 7 cm in diameter) 2·5–9 m up in tree, often Terminalia sericea or Burkea africana (at Nylsvlei, Transvaal), nest often highly cryptic on lichenous substrate; strong tendency to abandon early nests without laying in them (one pair built and destroyed three nests in four weeks, starting fourth nest near end of that time and laying in it). Clutch 2–4 eggs, generally 2, second laid 26–27 hours after first; incubation from first egg, by both sexes, for 98% of daytime, by female rather more than by male, only female at night; stints last 17–178 minutes (average 42 minutes), when female sitting male initiates change-over by calling as he approaches, she responding in duet; when male incubating he initiates change-over by calling on nest, female arriving immediately and taking over; incubation period c. 19 days; chicks brooded by either parent, continuously for first 6–7 days, sporadically for next 3–4 days, thereafter only at night, fed by both, faecal sacs removed and eaten by either parent, nestling period 21–22 days; young stay with parents for c. 55 days after leaving nest, remain in parental territory but not accompanied by parents. Of ten nests in one study, only three were successful. Longevity at least 8 years.

Not globally threatened. Common in many parts of its vast sub-Saharan range. Uncommon in Togo. Global population perhaps in low millions; probably more than 100,000 individuals in S Mozambique. In S uncommon to locally very common; densities of 1 pair/30–50 ha in former Transvaal (South Africa), 1 bird/9 ha in eleven woodland types in N Botswana and 1 bird/4 ha in tall acacia woods in Okavango; four localities in acacia savanna in Swaziland held, respectively, 3, 11, 24 and 30 birds/100 ha.