A locally common resident of Zululand and found northwards into Southern Mozambique.
They habit wooded areas of the Savanna and bushveld. These shrikes are usually in groups of three to 12 birds and rarely solitary. Preaching on top of a bush or tree, they drop to the ground for their prey which comprises insects and small reptiles.
The flight is fast, somewhat dipping and ending with a swoop up to the perch. They jerk their long tail while calling which is a sonorous piping tlee – teeooo and often several birds in chorus.
Breeding takes place from October to March. The nest is a bulky cup of twigs and grass stems and lined with finer rootslets. Three to five buff or stoney yellow eggs spotted with brown or reddish dots are laid. The incubation and nestling period is unrecorded.
The Afrikaans name is langstertlaksman.
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