Uluguru bush-shrike  (Malaconotus alius)

Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List (1).

Regarded as one of the rarest birds in Africa (4), the Uluguru bush-shrike is a relatively large, heavy-bodied shrike with a thick, black, hook-tipped beak. The upperparts, including the wings and tail, are uniformly olive-green in colour, while the underparts are yellow, becoming more greenish on the sides and lower abdomen, and greenish-grey on the underside of the tail. The head and back of the neck are glossy black, helping to distinguish this species from other large forest shrikes, and the legs are bluish-grey (2) (3). The female Uluguru bush-shrike resembles the male, but is duller, with more greenish underparts (3). The Uluguru bush-shrike has a loud and distinctive call, consisting of a far-carrying series of three to five whistles, which rise slightly in pitch on the last notes. The calls of one individual are often answered by another (2) (3).

The Uluguru bush-shrike, as its name suggests, is endemic to the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania (2) (3) (5). Until recently it was known only from the Uluguru North Forest Reserve, but in 2007 was also recorded for the first time in the nearby Uluguru South Forest Reserve (2) (5) (6).

This species inhabits the canopy of moist montane and submontane forest, at elevations of around 1,200 to 2,100 metres. It usually prefers areas of high rainfall and little disturbance, generally between 1,200 and 1,700 metres, but has also been found in degraded forest at the edge of reserves or where tall, mature trees still remain (2) (3) (5) (7).

Very little information is available on the biology of the Uluguru bush-shrike. It feeds on large arthropods, and is thought to forage alone or in pairs, although it may also join mixed-species flocks (2) (5). Nothing is known about reproduction in this species, although breeding was suspected in Uluguru South Forest Reserve in March, and an immature bird has been seen in July (2) (3) (5).

Despite being found to have a larger population and to occur at more sites than previously thought (2) (4) (6), the Uluguru bush-shrike is still restricted to an extremely small area, and is believed to have a total population of no more than 1,200 pairs (2) (4) (5). Much of the terrain within its range is too steep for cultivation, but, nevertheless, the main threat to this shrike remains the extensive loss of forest habitat, due to clearance for cultivation and cutting for timber and firewood. Most of this destruction has occurred at lower elevations in the submontane forest, the preferred habitat of this species (2) (3) (4) (5) (8). A further threat, introduced to the area more recently, is banana farming, with bananas planted beneath the forest canopy as a cash crop (3) (4) (9). Unfortunately, this involves clearing shrubs and thinning the trees, as well as gradually felling further trees to provide additional nutrients for the banana plants. Eventually this process destroys the forest, with the land then usually converted to subsistence maize farming (9).

Uluguru North and Uluguru South Forest Reserves are managed as important water catchment areas for the 3.5 million people of the city of Dar-es-Salaam, and are also of high importance in terms of biodiversity (2) (5) (8) (9). There are plans underway to reconnect the two reserves and to upgrade them to the status of Nature Reserve (2) (5) (7), and a range of conservation projects are underway in the area, including work with local communities, habitat restoration, further surveys of the Uluguru bush-shrike population, and monitoring of the species’ preferred habitat (2) (7) (8) (9). The development of ecotourism may also provide an alternative source of income for local people, and an incentive to protect the forest (8) (9). Further conservation measures recommended for this rare endemic bird include additional monitoring and population estimates, increased efforts to reduce firewood and timber harvesting within the reserves, reforestation at lower elevations, raising awareness of the importance of the area, and continuing to work closely with local communities to ensure the appropriate management and sustainable utilisation of forest resources (2) (5) (8).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

To find out more about conservation in Tanzania and in the Uluguru Mountains, see:

• Tanzania Forest Conservation Group:
  http://www.tfcg.org/
• Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund:
  http://www.easternarc.or.tz/
• African Conservation Foundation: Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania:
  http://www.africanconservation.com/uluguru/

For more information on efforts to conserve the world’s most endangered bird species see:

• BirdLife International Preventing Extinctions Programme:
  http://www.birdlife.org/action/campaigns/species_champions/index.html