How to Draw a Boubou Shrike

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Boubou Shrike in 6 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Boubou Shrike.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Boubou Shrike - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Get a "birds eye view" - start by drawing the head

Step 3: Extend the line from the top of the head to create the back and tail

Interesting Facts about the Boubou Shrike

Also called the southern boubou, this bird is a member of the bushrike family, an African species of bird that is found in scrub and open woodland, and dines on insects. They are common throughout south eastern Africa, mainly Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. Their preferred habitats include dense forests, gardens and riverside woodlands. Males and females of this species are similar in appearance, including in size, and reach up to twenty-two centimeters in length. The upper parts of the body are black with a white stripe on each wing, and their tails are long and black with white outer feathers. Most of their bodies are in fact black, including their eyes, legs and beaks. Unlike other species of bushrikes, the boubou shrike is a considerably “shy” species, as it does not prefer to spend much time out in the open. Did you know?

• Though they prefer insects, they will also eat small lizards, rodents, snails and fruit.
• They are a foraging species, preferring to find their food in the thick vegetation that resides on the ground.
• There are six different races of boubou shrike. All of them vary in size, underparts color and size ratio between males and females.
• Females lay one or two brown and greenish-white eggs at a time.
• Both sexes incubate the eggs for sixteen to seventeen days before the eggs hatch.

Up to two percent of all boubou nests are infested with black cuckoos as parasites. All nests are built by the females of the species, with males having no involvement in the nest-building process. However, both the male and female parent birds will bring food to their offspring.