---
title: "Magpie Shrike"
description: "Urolestes melanoleucus — Aves. The magpie shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus), also known as the African long-tailed shrike, is a species of bird in the family Laniidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/magpie-shrike
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Magpie Shrike

> Urolestes melanoleucus — Aves. The magpie shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus), also known as the African long-tailed shrike, is a species of bird in the family Laniidae.

- Scientific name: *Urolestes melanoleucus*
- Category: `birds` (Aves)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Campos e prados), `savanna` (Savana)
- iNaturalist observations: 2718
- iNaturalist taxon: [72762](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/72762)

## Names

- en: Magpie Shrike
- de: Elsterwürger
- es: Alcaudón Pío
- fr: Corvinelle noir et blanc

## Countries with the most observations

ZA (1560), TZ (396), BW (344), ZW (137), NA (86), KE (33), AO (12), ZM (12)

## Summary

The magpie shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus), also known as the African long-tailed shrike, is a species of bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Urolestes. It is native to the grasslands of eastern and southeastern Africa, where its natural habitats are dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It has a very wide range and is common in places, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magpie_shrike

## Photo

![Magpie Shrike](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/magpie-shrike/medium.jpg)

Photo: Dave Brown · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70808670

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/magpie-shrike?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).