Dryoscopus sabini
The Sabine's Puffback (*Dryoscopus sabini*) is a striking passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae, native to the dense rainforests of West and Central Africa. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm (7-8 in) in length and weighing 30-40g, adults exhibit a bold, contrasting plumage of glossy black upperparts—including the head, back, wings, and tail—against pristine white underparts. Its most distinctive field mark and namesake feature are the long, loose, erectile white rump feathers,...
Found primarily in lowland evergreen rainforests, gallery forests, and dense secondary growth. Prefers the mid-canopy to upper canopy strata, typically below 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) elevation.
Exclusively insectivorous, feeding on a variety of arthropods including beetles, caterpillars, ants, grasshoppers, and spiders. Forages by gleaning from foliage and bark.
Sabine's Puffbacks are diurnal and largely arboreal, spending their days actively foraging through the forest canopy. They employ a gleaning strategy, plucking insects from leaves, twigs, and bark, and are often observed as key members of mixed-species foraging flocks. This species is monogamous,...
The Sabine's Puffback is a resident species found across a broad swathe of West and Central Africa. Its range extends from Sierra Leone and Liberia in the west, eastward through Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. It continues south through Gabon, Congo, and t...
Least Concern
- Its common name, 'Puffback,' comes from its remarkable ability to erect and fluff out its loose rump feathers, particularly during display. - The Sabine's Puffback frequently joins mixed-species foraging flocks, often acting as a 'nuclear species' that other birds follow. - The species' scienti...